The Holiday
by EllenEvhe
Summary: Lauren is a successful actress that goes on holiday to Crete, Bo is a tour guide there. Stuff ensues. It's a holiday romance, low on plotlines except that I wove another narrative into the mix.
1. Chapter 1

So...I went to Crete a couple of weeks ago, and whenever I travel, writing seems to be so much easier, and then the idea of the following story just kind of popped in my head and I wrote it out.

Which leads me to the logical and inevitable conclusion that if you guys want me to continue writing doccubus fics, you should all really fund my travel!

I'll open up a thing for that, shall I?

Haha! Just kidding. ;-)

I usually write very long stories, but this is a short one: seven chapters, an epilogue and then that's it! I can say that, cause for once in my life I've actually finished a story, so I know how long it is! Yay me!:-) The story was supposed to just be a holiday romance, very low on plot lines and twists and turns, but then I complicated things for myself by weaving two stories into one, and adding a little twist at the end. I suppose I just can't help myself! :-)

Bo in this story is modeled more to my own background, my own way of thinking and interests. Obviously, I don't share her dress sense, and would not be able to pull off the outfits she wears. I'm cute, but not Bo gorgeous. ;-) Anyways, all of these changes because it made it easier on me to write this story. All of the places Bo takes Lauren are the places I actually visited when I was in Crete.

I also experimented with Lauren's character a bit; she's a successful actress in this version of Bo and Lo, a bit more in tune and outward with her feeling than lovable Dr. Lewis, but in essence still the same intelligent, passionate, adorkable person.

Oo, also...there's a bit of French in this fic...for anyone wondering who does not speak French, it's the French version of the "Hail Mary" prayer.

* * *

**Cretan Holiday **

**Chapter 1**

Lauren Lewis boarded the Airbus A321 flying from Toronto to Munich at half past six and nestled herself into her window seat. She listened to the Captain's announcements and the flight safety measures explained by the flight attendants before looking around and about on the plane taking in all the people on this plane with her. Lauren Lewis was a frequent flyer; her job often sent her towards locations and shoots in or across the country, but it was rare that she took the plane to go on vacation like she was today. Although the word 'vacation' was debatable. Lauren had been casted for a new movie and as sort of a perk, and work thing all wrapped in one, the production had offered up a week in a luxury hotel in Crete. The only obligation was near the end of the week; a pre-production meeting for the financers she, along with the director and a couple of other actors was obligated to attend. At first, Lauren had been reluctant to go. "Rachel" as the movie was called wouldn't start filming for a couple of months and before that there were always scripts to read, projects to hear about, roles to audition for and publicity obligations to attend to, and honestly Lauren saw this vacation more as an interruption of her routine and her work ethic, but then her mother and her sister found out about the trip, and they talked Lauren into it: Mabel Lewis by suggesting in her usual warm and motherly tone that a week away might do her a world of good and her sister Tamsin by saying that it would perhaps _"dislodge that large stick up Lauren's ass since she hadn't been gettin' any." _

Flying as often as she did, Lauren had picked up the strange habit of looking at everyone around her and imagining a plane crash, imagining that these people could be the last people she'd ever see. It was a routine that she oddly enough didn't find morbid at all, it was just a thing her overactive imagination had tricked her into doing after watching one too many disaster movies and Air Crash Investigation episodes.

The thirteen hour flight would carry Lauren from chilly Toronto to windy Munich for a layover and then to sunny, hot Crete for her final destination. Everything she needed to keep herself entertained during that time was safely stowed away in her backpack under the seat in front of her including: a couple of Fiji water bottles, a neck pillow, her iPhone, some mints, her laptop, a couple of travel guides, some sudokus and a copy of the book the movie she was in, was based on.

Yup, Lauren was all set, and happy; she was just waiting for the flight attendants to come by and give her a nice drink with some ice cubes in it so she could watch the cubes melt in the drink. There was something about heat causing molecules inside ice to start moving faster so that they broke the hydrogen bonds that got Lauren's geek on, and made her want to exclaim "Neat!" out loud. After the drink she could get started on reading or doing some sudoku puzzles, anything really to keep her from falling asleep on the plane. Lauren wasn't afraid to fall asleep out of a fear of flying or missing out or something, but the last time she had fallen asleep on a plane, she'd woken up drooling on the shoulder of the elderly lady sitting next to her. The lady had been asleep too, but it had still been embarrassing. The time before that she'd been so tired that she'd fallen asleep almost instantly after drinks had been served. The sudden loss of muscle control as sleep took her, made Lauren's hold on her glass slip and when the person directly behind her suddenly let out a loud gutteral noice, Lauren screeched and bolted upright launching her drink up in the air, the liquid content showering much of the row in front of her, while the two unfortunate souls that were sitting next to her were pelted with ice cubes. The time before that Lauren had woken up playing naked footsie with a guy whose feet looked like those of Frodo or Samwise Gamgee after their trek through the marshes. All in all, Lauren hadn't had a good track record with falling asleep on planes, so she just kind of avoided it. Lauren also tended to shy away from airplane bathrooms. On several occasions she had managed to lock herself up in them having to ask for assistance from the flight crew to get her out. Those locks sure were tricky at times.

Still, Lauren liked to fly, loved to travel, even if it was just being en route it instilled her with a sense of freedom, like the world was hers to explore, so for the first half an hour to forty-five minutes or so, Lauren just stared out of her window enjoying feeling the powerful machine under her take off, then seeing the landscape grow ever smaller under her until finally they were flying through and above the clouds. With a smile on her face, Lauren marveled at the sights until her reverie was broken by the flight attendants serving up hot meals. It was another good hour after that Lauren was torn between perusing through the travel guides she had brought with her or the book she needed to read. It was tempting to go for the travel guides because Lauren had only decided to come to Crete very last minute and she hadn't had the chance to read up on the island yet. Also, she wasn't sure she was in the right mood to start on this book Rachel. As was the case with every role Lauren took on, she wanted to give it her all, immerse herself into the part and she knew, given the story line of the book, this role and immersing herself into it wasn't going to be easy.

Lauren was to play the best friend of the lead: Rachel, a young woman full of life and zest in a time when Nazi Germany settled its claws in western Europe. The entire story was told out of the perspective of the best friend, whose remarkable life was recounted in flashbacks and tall tales. Lauren was the best friend's first love, the object of the author's affection, a love that would never be forgotten, one that touched the main character so deeply it shaped who she was. Lauren liked these kinds of stories, those that dealt with the human condition, of human connection and how it could change a person. It was what had drawn her to acting in the first place. the story was great, the character she got to play fascinating, but it wasn't exactly going to be light reading.

Light reading or not, Lauren's work ethic pushed her towards what she usually did, work and so as the lights of the Boeing 747 cabin dimmed, Lauren started leafing to the first pages of the book.

**_Rachel _**

**_Chapter 1_**

**_September 1933_**

_The year was 1933 when I sat straight on my chair behind my desk. Eight pencils, perfectly sharpened, two erasers in a richly decorated wooden pencil case I got from my dad last winter, and two notebooks perfectly covered by my mom were neatly placed in front of me__. I wanted a front row seat, not out of a studious impulse per sé, but I was near sighted; I needed glasses and a good seat to see the teacher and what was being written on the black board. The classroom was one of the larger ones, big windows to the left that let in natural sunlight and cupboards to the right that reached up to shoulder height with another set of windows above them that let in light from the corridors. The room was a good ten by seven meters, the floor was a yellowish color that would blend excellently with puke if anyone would ever get sick; and sturdy oak desks for two that had years worth of gum sticking under them were neatly arranged in three columns and five rows. _

_There was more than enough room to house the roughly twenty-five pupils that had all elected to study Greek and Latin, yet the imposing figure of Soeur Matilda, clad in her black habit that strained in the chest area, at the head of the classroom made the space feel small and confiding in my eyes. Her piercing green eyes skitted across the room as if she saw everything, as if she could see mischief that hadn't even been conceived of. It was only later that I would find out that that look she wore, the disapproving one, the one that made you realize you were only ever a second away from being berated, was a constant for her. _

_However intimidating Soeur Matilda was, she was not the reason I was nervous. I __always did well academically, I always got along with the teachers, with the Mères and/or the Soeurs. It was a simple matter of replying with two words, of being respectful and do what they asked of you, and when you did, you got that same respect given back to you mostly. It was easy, but this was the first day of school at a new school, a bigger school; Marche-les-dames had over five hundred pupils, bigger kids.__ Most of all I was nervous about fitting in, finding friends here, maybe even finding something I had never found until then, a best friend._

_My nervousness, however, never kept my curiosity from surfacing, so as the classroom slowly started filtering in with my new classmates and Soeur Matilda's loud booming voice droned out assigning seats to everyone, I began observing the room. _

_I once read that humans tend to catalogue other humans in a split of a second. The reptilian part of our brain compelling us to ask __three basic questions: can I mate with this person, is this person a threat, and is this person above or below me in social standing? My twelve-year-old reptilian brain never asked me the sex question, and in all honesty, in all the years since it never has, but I believe there is truth in those other two questions._

_It is instinct, is it not? To wonder about others, compare? To assess a risk? _

_Why else would I have found Soeur Matilda intimidating? Why else would I have scanned the room and seen other girls; better dressed than me, prettier than me, why else __would I have wondered if they were smarter than I was? Wondered if they could be my friend, if I would be acceptable to them?_

_It's instinct, a reaction we share with other animals. It's also a reaction most people have learned to suppress, a trigger of the deepest parts of our brain our more sophisticated brain has learnt to pull a veil over. _

_It's strange to think that most people now live thinking that what hides beneath the veil does not exist. _

_When I saw Rachel walk into class that day, I never thought she would turn out to be that best friend I was looking for. Her dark blonde hair, delicate features, her beautiful smile, her giddy personality instantly made me think she was far too popular for 'eight perfectly sharpened pencils and huge glasses, sits in the front row' me to ever be more than a blimp on her radar, and perhaps that would have been all we would ever be to one another if Soeur Matilda hadn't decided to put her next to me on the front row and told us we were to sit like this in class for the rest of the year._

_Rachel didn't have a pencil. I gave her one from my extensive collection. The red one. __She gave me a smirk; the kind that opened up her features to me those hazel eyes she had that sparkled, the long dark blonde locks that framed her kind, open face, and a rather long, slender nose that gave her an air of sophistication. Even at that age Rachel had an elegance about her, a very feminine way of holding herself as if at any moment photographers could pop out of the ground like tulips and snatch pictures of her, but her grace was never arrogance or attitude; it was a natural confidence I found intriguing. I remember thinking she probably thought I was the biggest nerd in the class. I don't remember what else I said to her or if we laughed together on that first day like we would later on so much and so loudly it always drew questioning glances from people around us._

_What I remember was the loud voice of Soeur Matilda as she started the prayer that we would drone out three times per day before classes started; after lunch and at the start of the last period, and how that prayer started sounding as a chant as the rest of the class picked up on it._

_**Je vous salue, Marie pleine de grâce ;**_  
_** Le Seigneur est avec vous.**_  
_** Vous êtes bénie entre toutes les femmes**_  
_** Et Jésus, le fruit de vos entrailles, est béni.**_  
_** Sainte Marie, Mère de Dieu,**_  
_** Priez pour nous pauvres pécheurs,**_  
_** Maintenant et à l'heure de notre mort.**_

_That staccato rhythm that seemed to echo in my eardrums between the four walls of my class faded and blended into the taunts and the laughter pounding my ears between a different double pair of walls. __My knees hit the floor, chafing and bruising. My glasses flew from my nose. Out of reach. All I could see were blurs of dark blue uniform around me. I hated the smell of the school lavatories, and that stench now soaked into my nose as my head was being pushed hard against the greasy floor beneath me. I struggled against the knee in my back and the hand that kept me flattened to the floor as if I was the mop they were using to wipe the floor with. My entire body was tense with rage, my face flustered with it, but there was nothing I could do. The person on my back was larger than I was, bigger, heavier, and the more I struggled the louder the taunts became, the louder the laughter became. By this time I didn't know how many people were gathered around me, but I knew it was more than the three girls that had originally cornered me, had started shoving me, had tripped me. I could tell by the way the blur of dark blue uniforms kept growing bigger in front of me._

_"FOUR EYES!" _

_"HAHAHAHA!" _

_"NERD!"_

_Then there was the sound of something crunching and snapping beneath a foot and I instantly knew that was the sound of my glasses snapping. I only had one pair, and that made me angrier still, so angry, so helpless that I felt tears spring from my eyes. All I could hope for was that one of the teachers would spot us, but that thought was quickly squashed when next the content of my backpack was being spilled next to my ear. By the way it clanged to the floor, I knew it was the pencil case my dad had given me that broke on impact._

_"WHAT A SPASS!" _

_"WHAT A LOSER!"_

_There was a kerfuffle behind me and suddenly the weight on my back was lifted. I scrambled to my feet, ready to jump on the girls that jumped on me, but without my glasses I was pretty much blind, and there were so many people around me. Who was I going to lunge at? I didn't want to jump the person that just saved me. Tears started pooling in my eyes again at how helpless I was, how humiliated I felt, and I didn't want to give my bullies the gratification knowing they got to me, so instead of taking revenge, I said nothing, did nothing but stumble about looking for my things. My backpack was easiest to spot, someone handed me my glasses. I didn't bother with the rest and just ran off and out of the lavatory straight to my room. _

_Luckily, my parents paid for a separate room, cause I don't think I could have handled sleeping in the dorm room with a few hundred other girls like most girls did there. For once I had been relieved to be priviliged. When I walked back into class the following morning, my glasses sat perched crooked on my nose; the tip of one ear had been bent out of place and one of the glasses had come loose, out of its socket and had actually cracked. I had used scotch tape to keep the glass in its place. I looked stupid, even more of a nerd with the glasses like they were now, but I didn't have a choice, I only had one pair. Luckily, I wouldn't have to wear that pair long; I'd already gone to the principal's, Mère Supérieure's office before class, to ask her to contact my parents for me so that they could get me a new pair of glasses to replace the pair that I had accidentally stepped on. But, I was still reeling from the day before, angry at what those girls from my class, I knew them all by name: Margot, Arlette and Hélène- had done. I tried to look every single one of them in the eye with as much gall and defiance as I could muster as I made my way to my front row seat. Margot, the packleader turned away from my gaze, too cowardly to meet my eyes or too bitchy to do it. The two others followed suit. If any of them had laughed, I know I would have punched them right then and there._

_When I got to my seat, I noticed the pencil case my dad had bought me, sitting on my desk. I stared at it frowning as I dropped my backpack next to my desk and slid into my seat. The day before I had heard it break, and I had left it behind. Here it sat, seemingly repaired. I opened the pencil case. There were eight pencils in there, a little shorter than before, but perfectly sharpened. _

_Rachel slid into the seat next to me. I wasn't really paying attention to her, still looking at the pencil case somewhat bewildered, wondering who could have repaired it, and then took the time to put it here, sharpen my pencils again. _

_"Margot is a bitch," Rachel said with a sigh. "Her mother and father are getting a divorce and she likes channeling her frustration with her fists." _

_My eyes blinked. I looked between the pencil case and Rachel._

_"Did you..?" _

_"Punch her lights out?"_

_"Repair this?" _

_Rachel shrugged. "It was just one of the hinges that had come loose. I asked Soeur Renilde for a small screw driver."_

_"Thank you," I said, turned my head smiling at Rachel and then noticed a cut right above her eye. "I'm Mary," I said holding out my hand to her. "Mary Jasper."  
_

_1933 was the year I met my best friend; the year I met an incredible human being whose compassion, strength and heart I would always be in awe of. 1933 was also the year that a man in a neighbouring country with very different views on life and values than two school girls, was elected as Reichs Kanzler. It was the year where everything in Europe would slowly start changing; where hate campaigns in Germany against Jews slowly started to dehumanize them. It was a hate that would sweep over Europe and irrevocallly change all of us._

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**Day One**

Lauren exited the airport in Iraklion, there was just one door to the exit and the exit hall was just a small room, no more than five by eight meters so it didn't take long for Lauren to spot her name scribbled down on a sign. Lauren honed in on her name, struggling with her bags and not really paying attention to anything else.

"Lemme help you with that," a voice said to her in perfect English. Lauren looked up and her heart skipped a beat or two. Looking at her with a dimpled smile was a beautiful dark haired woman with chocolate eyes. She was dressed in black, mostly leather and some part of Lauren's brain registered that it was an odd choice for a place like Crete, but Lauren's brain mostly shouted "Yowza!" in her head, and her eyes seemed to cling to the woman's shapely form like the leather clung to the woman. Lauren's skin tingled when this woman extended her hand and shook Lauren's.

"Lauren Lewis? I'm Bo McCorrigan. Welcome to Crete. The car is just opposite the road," Bo said, and Lauren smiled and nodded, she let herself snap out of her daze and focus on the task at hand again. Gorgeous women like this Greek Goddess Bo, Lauren estimated had a 94% chance of being straight and a 98% chance of being straight and off the market, so there was no reason to even feel attracted to this woman. Right?

Bo had already grabbed the heaviest bag lauren had with her and slung it over her shoulder as she moved out of the airport. The warm, salty air pushed through Lauren's senses as soon as she exited the airport. Bright skies above, nothing but blue and a pulsating sun shone down and Lauren was glad she had decided to dress light. The sun on her face immediately put her in a good mood and she was ready for this week of holiday. Bo drove a white and tan jeep and Lauren found it suited the brunetteshe looked like the adventurous type and the white contrasted nicely with Bo's outfit.

"So, what would you like to do on your first day of Crete?" Bo asked when the pair were seated in Bo's jeep. Lauren frowned. She thought Bo was just here to take her to her hotel, it was a strange way to pose that question.

"I uhm... go to the hotel?"

"Oh, the hotel didn't tell you?" Bo asked glancing over at Lauren. "Your room won't be available until tonight, I'm afraid you're stuck with me for the day." At Bo's words Lauren couldn't help but frown and grumble inwardly at the news. However beautiful this woman was, Lauren's flight over had been long and she had been looking forward to taking a shower, changing clothes and then exploring the hotel a bit before getting started on her reading for the week.

"You probably wanted a shower and a change of clothes," Bo said as if picking up on her thoughts. "So I thought I could swing you by Dyson's place and you can do that there. It's only a twenty minute drive to there and then we can get started on that tour."

Lauren had no clue who Dyson was, no clue where anything was on this island, and no sure way of knowing if what Bo was telling her was true. Lauren wasn't a mistrusting person, but all of these things she didn't know made her feel a little weary. Cause Lauren had seen Silence of the Lambs and what not, and that movie still scared the bejeezes out of her. Or like Psycho. Truth, she hadn't seen the last one, only like the trailers, but that was more than enough. "And who's Dyson?" Lauren asked. "I thought the hotel sent you?"

"Dyson is the boss," Bo replied with a warmish smile that brought out her dimples and for some reason alleviated some of Lauren's unease. "He has a contract with the hotel you're staying at, picking up their guests, driving them around, showing them the island if they want, but I'm filling in for him today. He puts up his place for cases like you," Bo continued on. "Where the hotel isn't able to put you up yet, I mean."

Lauren nodded.

"His place is nice," Bo said. "Has a pool and everything if you just want to spend the day there relaxing."

"In his house?" Lauren asked and Bo could hear the lingering apprehension in Lauren's voice.

"He's out of town for a couple of days," Bo said to put the woman next to her at ease."Large house, bachelor pad really." Bo said with an amused roll of her eyes.

"On vacation? Cause that'd be ironic." Lauren commented and made Bo chuckle out loud."A shower would be nice." Lauren said after a moment, and Bo smiled. The rest of the fifteen minute drive was spent in silence mostly with Lauren finding herself sneaking peaks and glances at the woman next to her. Deep brown chocolate eyes, a chiseled jaw, full lips, dark luscious hair that fell in waves over her shoulders, not to mention the body. Lauren was a boob girl, there was no denying it and the blonde didn't know whether is was from the lack of sleep on the plane, the salt in the air here or the bright sun, or the fact that she was finally on vacation when she hadn't had a vacation in years, or the fact that she hadn't been laid in over a year, but Lauren felt a little lightheaded whenever she glanced over, and she had serious trouble peeling her eyes away from Bo's chest area. Eventually, she did, shaking her head at herself hoping Bo hadn't noticed her blatant ogling.

When Bo pulled up to Dyson's house, and the pair walked inside Lauren was pleasantly surprised. The house was on the beach, surrounded by a lush garden, modern and big like Bo had said, but not overly so that it made you almost uncomfortable. Inside the rooms were spacious with lots of natural light filtering in on all sides; the materials used, Lauren could tell were all high end, quality. Dyson had good taste. Bo showed her to one of the rooms with ensuite and informed her she could use that one, it was one of four guest rooms and no one was using it.

"When you're done, I'll be out by the pool and you can tell me your plans." Lauren smiled when Bo smiled and winked at her. Bo had a charm about her that was hard to miss. After a quick shower, Lauren put on her vacation outfit: short green shorts and a white t-shirt and comfortable shoes. Nothing fancy, an outfit fit for the climate and whatever adventure Bo had in store? One quick, self-conscious glance in the mirror and Lauren left the room.

Dyson's garden was a nice size as wide as the stand alone villa was and about two times as deep. The pool and and the deck with a large wooden table and chairs were adjacent to the house, while the end of the garden tapered off into a view of sand and ocean. For a moment laying by the pool and perhaps going to the beach later on did seem like a great way to spend her afternoon, but then Lauren's eyes landed on Bo. The brunette was concentrated on the screen in front of her typing away fiercely, almost tensely her lip pulled slightly between her teeth, and Lauren for some reason or another found the sight endearing.

"Hey, " Lauren said announcing her presence.

"Hey you," Bo replied looking up instantly and flashing Lauren her 100.000 watt smile. All the tension from Bo's face instantly disappeared Lauren noticed, and Lauren found she liked Bo's smile even more than the cute concentrated look.

"Show me around?" Lauren asked and Bo smiled even wider.

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"Where off to Lauren?" Bo asked when they were in the Jeep again. Do you want culture, history, beach, walking,..?

"It's my first time in Greece. I promised myself I'd at least get some of the historic sites in, " Lauren replied feeling herself getting genuinely excited at the prospect of a guided tour.

"Knossos, Malia, Kato Zakros or Gournia are all good places for that." Bo responded.

Lauren only recognised one of those names from her history classes a long time ago. "Knossos, I suppose?"

Bo nodded. "Knossos is great. Must see when in Crete. It gets way crowded on the summer, and it'll still be busy now, but it's managable."

"What would you recommend?" Lauren asked. She had sensed a but in Bo's comment and if Bo knew all the sights here as well as she did, why would Lauren not take advantage of that knowledge?

"Knossos is fantastic, but it's the largest of the four Minoan palaces on Crete. If you're only wanting to visit one, then pick that one, but if you're really interested, you might start with one of the smaller ones and work yourself up that way. You'll get a better grasp of the culture and the way the Minoans built, what they were like, and I think it'll make you appreciate Knossos more when you visit it afterwards."

Lauren nodded, she had only promised herself a few tourist destinations this vacation, but the thought of doing more now was sounding a lot more appealing by the minute.

"Okay, where should I start?" Lauren asked with a soft smile.

"I'll take you to Gournia," Bo replied after a thoughtful pause. It's in the east of Crete, not that far out, great view and they excavated a little town right next to the palace, so you get to see how the workers lived too." Within fifteen minutes, the both of them were driving down the Voax, the main highway for Crete as it spiraled the coast line between the mountains bringing one magnificent view into view after the other. Lauren was ooing and awing as they went and Bo simply smiled.

When they arrived at Gournia, they parked the car just in the dirt road next to the open archeological site, it was a small side street of the main highway with those views lauren had so enjoyed. The entrance fee was a mere six Euros and Lauren started listening attentively when Bo started telling her about the site. When it was first discovered, who discovered it, what the significance was. Lauren knew a little about Minoan culture, how in the Bronze Age it was the first advanced civilization, but not much else. Lauren loved reading all the signs at places like this, but with Bo by her side, she felt she didn't need to, Bo was a really good guide. The blonde had, surprisingly, relaxed around Bo; she'd gotten her mind to stop spiraling off into mentally undressing her, and had, instead latched unto the information Bo was telling her.

Bo, on her part, remarked how interested Lauren was listening to her and how when they moved away from Minoan history 101 to step into the archeological site itself, Lauren tried to navigate her way through the ruins tilting the map in her hand left, right, and upside down, obviously concentrating hard if the deep frown was an indication. Bo thought Lauren was adorable, and she smiled. The pair of them explored the ruins for a couple of hours amazed at what had been preserved and giving life to the town under their feet in their imaginings. Sometimes they would wonder off in different directions to take picturs or a closer look at something, but most of all they stayed together and simply talked lightly. The hours passed quickly as Bo was a great guide and great company; informed, pleasant, funny and gorgeous. Not that the gorgeous was at all important, mostly cause she obviously wasn't single, but it was quite obvious to see, so Lauren found it important to mention.

When the day drew to a close and Bo was only a few kilometers from Lauren's hotel, Lauren found herself regretting the day was over. She'd had a really nice day, after realising Bo's company was an odd mix of feeling hyperly self aware and relaxed at the same time. When Bo dropped Lauren off at her resort hotel, Bo helped her first with the bags and Lauren couldn't help but notice how kind Bo was. On a whim Lauren decided to be bold.

"So... now that I've done Gournia, what's your next suggestion?"

"Are you asking me if you're ready for Knossos?"

"Yes, that's what I'm asking." Lauren said, her nerves showing as she involuntarily swallowed.

"I think you should see Malia and Phaistos before Knossos still, and then the archeological museum in Iraklion." Bo replied after a thoughtful pause.

"Are you for hire, Bo? Lauren asked. "As a guide I mean!" Lauren squeaked out horrified as she saw Bo's eyebrows raise at the question and then suddenly realized how her question could be misconstrued. _Gods, Lewis! Did you really just suggest this Greek Goddess was for hire like some sort of common woman of the night? _

"I mean,..are you free to be my guide tomorrow in the afternoon? Lauren further amended her statement, desperate to talk her way out of her own mess. I mean, that is what you do.. You uhm show people around for a living...and uhm perhaps sometimes they pay you to uhm... " Lauren mumbled. "Uhm..show them something... "

"Show them something?" Bo repeated raising an amused brow.

"I uh, I mean... uh the sights...!" Lauren stuttered. _The sights of what? Bo's luscious curves! Gods, Lauren! _"Of the island! The sights of the island!" Lauren almost yelped out.

Bo smiled widely, she was still highly amused at the blonde's verbal fumble, but curbed her grin to spare the blonde more embarrassment. Bo had had a really good time with Lauren today; the blonde was funny and sweet, and utterly adorable, and Bo knew she'd enjoy another day with her.

"Well, I have some people to drive around in the morning, but so far my afternoon is clear," Bo smiled after a pause. "What time would you like me to pick you up?"

Lauren internally fist pumped at Bo's reply. _Go, Lewis!_ she thought and grinned. And then when Lauren should have really stopped grinning and looking at Bo, she was still grinning.

"Uhm, Lauren?" Bo verbally prompted at which Lauren's brain switched into gear and out of staring.

"That's perfection!" Lauren blurted out before she could stop herself, and inwardly immediately cringed. _That's perfection? Great, fine, excellent, good,...any of those adjectives weren't good enough? You needed to go with 'perfection'?_

"Uh, Lauren? You didn't really answer my question."

"Sorry uh..." Lauren blinked. What was the question?" Lauren asked confused.

"What time shall I pick you up?" Bo asked again managing to stifle a laugh.

"Around 1pm."

"Sounds like perfection," Bo couldn't help but tease to which made Lauren blush and smile awkwardly down staring at her shoes. Again Bo thought Lauren was being adorable.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lauren." Bo said warmly. "Goodnight."

"Good..." Lauren dared look back up still feeling shy but smiling a little at Bo's warm tone, and the way her name rolled off of Bo's tongue. "Goodnight..Bo." Lauren mumbled out.

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When Lauren pushed open the door to her hotel room, she had a wide grin on her face. Yes, she'd been a total spass asking to meet up with Bo the following day, but she'd done it, and Bo had said yes, and that had made it all worthwhile. As Lauren pushed her frame into the hotel room the lights automatically flickered on revealing a spacious, luxurious and modern bedroom with a kingsize bed, a nook to watch TV in and a good size desk she could work at. The walls were white, simple and she liked the wooden floor under her feet. To the far end of the room there was a sliding door as high and wide as her room was. When she walked up to it, she found the sliding door led to her own private deck with a whirlpool and a pair of elegant and comfortable looking lounge chairs. A few feet behind the deck, there was sand and then the vastness of ocean blue. It was a stunning view. When she explored further she found the bathroom too was nothing but good taste, and quality materials with travertine tiles and white marble vanities.

_Wow! _Lauren thought. _When the studio puts you up, they sure don't skimp on the budget._

The hotel staff had already brought up her luggage so Lauren began putting her clothes away in the closets provided. When she was done with that, Lauren went for the backpack she'd brought along as handluggage on the plane. She quickly took out her cellphone and the book she had started reading on the plane. She typed out two messages; one to her sister and one to her mom. When she landed and Bo and her were securely settled in Bo's jeep, Lauren had both sent them a text reassuring them she had landed safely, and that a leather-clad dark haired, beautiful guide had been there to pick her up. Her mother had replied just by sending a thumbs up emoticon, Tamsin sent _"Don't drop your panties on the first date!"_ All too aware of Lauren's type.

Now Lauren was letting Tamsin and Mabel know what a great day she had had with Bo. Her mother again answered with a single emoticon, a heart. Mabel Lewis would talk your ear off in conversation, but she was sparse in texting and fond of emoticons. Tamsin texted: _"On second thought, do drop your knickers on the first date!"_ Lauren laughed at Tamsin's text and put her phone away. It was a little over 11 at night, time for bed, but Lauren was still too awake to simply go to sleep, so she reached for the book in her backpack again, and put it on the nightstand next to her bed.

Ten minutes later and Lauren's teeth had been brushed, she'd freshened herself up and was ready for bed. With a happy sigh she fell back into the exceptionally comfortable pillows and softness of the bed. She reached for the book on the nightstand, and leafed to the page she had gotten to on the plane. After some twenty minutes of reading, Lauren felt her eyes starting to droop; she put the book on the nightstand, and turned off the light. She'd continue reading in the morning, she thought and then closed her eyes. Her last fleeting thoughts for the day were of the hours she had spent with Bo and the gladness she felt at deciding to visit Crete.

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**End of chapter 1**

What do you guys think? Should I continue, yay or nay?

The story is pretty much finished, just a couple of scenes I need to brush up. I'm thinking I can post a chap every week or so! :-)


	2. Chapter 2

Well, I said I'd update once a week and here I am! Yay!

If you're so inclined, leave a review. They make me happy!

Love you guys!

xoxox

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_**Rachel **_

_**Chapter 7**_

_1936_

_As a child you never really understand how privileged you are, or how lucky. As an adult, I realize that my youth was an extraordinairy one. I had a father and a mother that loved me, that believed in me and sent me to school in the hopes that one day I would elect to study further than the secondary school degree that most young women from my day would only ever receive. My parents made me feel safe, sheltered, special and in turn I loved them, sometimes as a teenager would with rolling eyes huffing and puffing, but mostly with a genuine appreciation for the people that they were. _

_My mother's family came from a long line of traders who dealt in wood with lands all over the Northern part of Europe for their business, and she had been one of seven children. She had lost her mother at the age of twelve, and as the oldest of a large family, my mother Antonie Thienpondt, was expected to help raise her siblings. All six of them moved onto college while my mother stayed at home missing out on a higher education to help my great grandfather manage not only a family, but also the family business. With intelligence and tenacity, she managed to teach herself to balance the books, and became her father's right hand. _

_During the first world war, my mother was part of the resistance. I never knew if she did more for them than writing down the times and places when large German convoys on trains and trucks would pass by, but I know she was arrested by the Germans at one point towards the end of the war. __By that time she had already met my father and they had been courting. He visited her every day she was in jail, and brought her grapes, her favorite fruit, whenever he could. Her father died when she was almost thirty, I was a full ten months old then. When she took over her father's business she was one of only a handful of business women in the country, but she somehow managed to balance her own family with work. _

_My mother was a kind woman; one of the kindest I have ever met, but with a fierce streak a mile long, and an iron will that had been forged when her mother had died so young. Now, as I reflect back on life, I often think about my mother, wonder what she may have become if life hadn't forced her into raising her siblings and taking over her father's business. My mother had a love for the arts; she could sing and dance, sketch and come up with the wildest tales at a drop of a hat. She was a Flapper in the roaring twenties and I still have pictures of her with a cocktail in hand, a cigarette in the other, her hair coiffed in the twenties modern style reclining over a bar wrapped in the fog of cigarette smoke, her eyes twinkling with mirth looking far more elegant and insouciant than I feel I have ever been. When I was younger, I had often caught my father gazing at that picture. I think, for him, it represented the woman he had fallen in love with, the woman she was to him._

_ Perhaps it is human nature to reflect back on life and question the decisions you have made. I know I am prone to that more than most, but however hard my mother's life sometimes must have been, I do not think she would have wanted it to change much. She loved my father with a passion, and he her. I never heard my mother speak a word to my father in anger or vice versa, and my mother and father shared their interests and their love for people. Parties at our house with song, dance and entertainment were frequent. My mother would dress up and look divine and my father would have eyes for only her as they danced the night away._

_My parents had first met Rachel's parents three years before, waiting outside Mère Superieure's office to discuss the reasons my glasses had broken, why Rachel had had a cut right above her eye; and why three girls from my class, girls I had only known for three days, had wound up with two shiners and one busted lip. I had heard the story the day before; how Rachel had gotten righteously angry and knocked all three girls on their asses for what they had done. The day both our parents and we got called into Mother superior's office, I had lied telling her it hadn't just been Rachel who'd defended me, but that I had been involved too, and that I had been the one who had dealt out the most severe blows. It was the least I could do for what Rachel had done for me. _

_There was silence in the car that night we drove home, and blazing eyes from my father a few hours later as I came clean at what had really happened. Rachel had stood up for me, roughed up the three bullies, but I had punched Margot the following day for good measure. I simply hadn't been able to control my anger, forget how humiliated I had been or how weak I had felt. My father yelled at me, my mother stayed quiet. Eventually, my mother put a soothing hand on my father's shoulder, and it had instantly taken the fire out of him. My father, to the depths of his soul was a pascivist; he believed in turning the other cheek, taking the moral high ground. My mother was a different creature in that regard; she believed in standing up for what was right and defending yourself. _

_From that day in Mother Superior's office, my parents and Rachel's became fast friends. Rachel's father; Charles Guillaume, was a successful architect. He had designed a number of prestigious buildings, and was a man with a fine taste for wine, food and cigars and lofty ideals quite like my father was. Rachel's mother Juliette was an opera singer, a somewhat quiet woman from what I could observe, but with a deep passion for music and the arts that she shared with my mother. Their friendship started with attending one of Juliette's concerts and it grew from there to many more concerts, card nights, dinner and parties. _

_The nights my father and mother hosted those parties, and Rachel parents were in attendance, we would get to stay for a few hours. We would sit at a table to the side just for us. With heels clicking against the hardwood floors in time with the music we watched from our seats at people dancing elegantly, listened to the most wonderful music being played on pianos and just enojoyed the carefree world on display for us. After a few hours my father would get our butler to drive us over to Rachel's house so we could go to sleep and our parents could keep enjoying themselves while the Guillaume family housekeeper kept an eye on us. __The Guillaume house on one of the main streets in the centre of the city was much like my own house with hardwood floors, high vaulted ceilings and large bay windows. With music being as important as it was to the Guillaumes they had made the music room the focal point of their house. The largest room of the house had a Steinway grand piano in the middle of it, and a few elegant pieces of furniture, including a comfortable sofa, but nothing much else as if the large space was left open solely for music, and creativity to fill it. _

_We never went to bed straight away whenever we came back from those parties. We were too enamoured by the glitter and the glamour our parents seemed to exude those days, too excited to just go to sleep, and so f__or a few hours every time, the house keeper would just leave us be. We would run up Charles and Juliette's bedroom go through Juliette's wardrobe finding one elegant accoutrement or outfit there, then speed off to the music room where Rachel took her place behind the piano and began to play. I'd usually choose a flowing gown, something that twirled lightly through the evening air, and then __my heels would click the hardwood floors again, not this time while sitting by the side idly watching, but rather losing myself in the music as I danced._

_Rachel played Schubert in a way that stilled you, with a virtuosity that was unlikely. I had studied piano, had been taught to play it for the better part of ten years, and had hated every minute of it. Perhaps that had been because I wasn't naturally gifted, perhaps it had been cause I had never really liked my teacher Mrs. Van Den Berghe, or perhaps it was because my mother had forced me to take those classes. Whatever the reason was, ten years of reluctant finger stretching had taught me the basics, but in comparison to Rachel it was as if I played it with a pair of clogs instead of fingers. I had never learnt the ease, the fluidity, the passion and the emotion that seemed to flow out so easily when Rachel played. Schubert was always Rachel's last song to play, an end to our evening, a far cry from the happy and upbeat songs she would play and I would dance to before. Schubert put the night to rest. Every note was so well played, with such emotion and depth it always made me sink into the plush couch closing my eyes, and I'd feel tears fall softly over my cheeks._

_Being around Rachel at that time in our lives was almost always comparable to those nights she played Schubert. She opened up a world to me I never knew existed. Rachel took me to plays, dragged me out of my comfort zone, she took me to the ballet, to the movies and even at one time to a jazz gig in a basement in the somewhat shadier part of the city that two fourteen-year-olds had no business attending. In turn I took her to museums, to the art galleries I loved so much and I shared the books I couldn't stop reading. Somewhere between the two of us we also got into mischief; we would sneak out of our bed at night to go explore those parts of the school where the sisters lived, or play practical jokes on our class mates, on our teachers. Whatever it was that Rachel and I got into; Rachel __always made me feel things: excitement, curiosity, reverie, laughter, sadness, happiness,..Most of all, however, Rachel made me feel like I belonged. _

**Day Two**

"No!" Lauren schreeched bolting upright. It was already ten past 1pm and Lauren had promised Bo she'd be downstairs at 1pm, but she'd completely lost track of time reading. Lauren didn't like being late, and the last thing she wanted was for Bo to think she was arrogant or cavalier about meeting up! Lauren just sometimes got so caught up in things that the world around her could vanish. Wanting to get to Bo as quickly as possible Lauren dressed hastily, clothes flying left and right while brushing her teeth and splashing some water on her face. She then moved through her room like a whirlwind gathering what she needed knocking over a few things, and snagging her shirt behind the door handle without her noticing when she finally made it out of the room.

Lauren saw Bo talking with one of the beautiful women from behind the reception desk of the hotel, and quickened her pace. It did not go unnoticed to her that the woman from the hotel was letting her eyes rove over Bo's breasts and hips as if she was a predator. _The gall of that woman!_ Lauren thought, and huffed inwardly. As soon as Lauren reached the reception desk, she made eye contact with the receptionist and stared daggers at her, silently berating 'Sophia' as Lauren read on the receptionist's nametag for the way she had been leering at Bo.

When Sophia looked away embarrased, Lauren's lips curled into a satisfied smirk._ Hah! _She thought satisfied. _Nipped that one in the butt! Good job, Lewis! _ When Lauren's eyes turned and settled on Bo, Lauren felt herself worked up for another reason entirely.

_Damnit, Bo looked good today! _Short, very short, too short probably to some, but not too short for Lauren, dark green shorts that showed off Bo's shapely legs and just a simple sleeveless white tank top which revealed Bo's toned, but still very feminine shoulders and arms. For this island, these temperatures the outfit was nothing special, but damnit that skin underneath those layers sure was. Lauren pressed her eyes shut realising she was salivating and took in a deep breath.

_Don't be like the receptionist Lewis, for goodness' sake! Keep it together, and don't stare! Don't drool! _Lauren inwardly chided and took a deep breath.

"Bo, I'm so sorry, " Lauren offered relatively put together again."I completely lost track of time reading."

"That's uhm..." Bo's words hung in the air and when Lauren caught on Bo's eyes went wide, those wide eyes then turning into a smirk."Uhm, Lauren...your top," Bo said and Lauren blinked not really following what Bo meant, but then she looked down at her top and almost shrieked in horror.

The buttons of the sleeveless shirt had practically all popped open revealing Lauren's stomach and most of her cleavage, and the white cotton bra Lauren had on. Yes, the white cotton, grandma bra that Lauren had put on cause she was in a hurry.

_Dear Lord! Why wasn't there a cave somewhere to go hide in, a rock to crawl under?_

Blushing madly, Lauren buttoned herself up as she ran out of the hotel. Bo followed hot on her heels as quickly as she caught on that Lauren had bolted.

"Lauren?" Bo called out. The brunette let her eyes go left and right, but she couldn't automatically spot the actress and her brows frowned. There was no reply, so Bo tried again.

"Lauren?"

Lauren stood leaning over against the passenger car door of Bo's car trying to get exhale the embarrassment out of her system when she heard Bo call her name.

"I'm here, Bo!" The halfhearted reply finally came. Lauren shook her head at herself. She could have just buttoned up and made no big deal of it, played it casual -however difficult that may have been when wearing a granny bra!- but instead of preserving just a little bit of dignity and grace in an already embarrassing situation, Lauren had opted to just bolt like a ten year old!

"There you are," Bo said when she rounded her car. "All buttoned up again, I see." Bo couldn't help but comment.

Lauren groaned. "Gods, Bo.. I don't even know how to apologize.."

"Don't apologize, Lauren. You're a beautiful woman, nothing to be ashamed of." Bo interrupted and threw Lauren a wink that almost stopped Lauren's heart. Did Bo just say Lauren was beautiful? Bo thought Lauren was beautiful? Was Bo flirting with her? Wow! Maybe Bo wasn't all that straight and maybe not all that taken? All of a sudden having shown Bo a little bit of her skin hadn't been all that bad after all! And maybe, just maybe, Bo hadn't even noticed her granny bra. With an almost confident smirk, Lauren got into Bo's car.

"Nice bra, by the way. Does it have a matching set of undies?" Bo couldn't help but blurt laughing when they were both seated and on route for their next destination. Bo had been doing her best to keep that comment to herself, but the temptation had just been too strong to suppress. Bo laughed at Lauren's loud groan.

"You're an ass, McCorrigan." Lauren offered, and that made Bo laugh even louder.

When Bo was done laughing, she glanced over at Lauren, reached her hand over and squeezed Lauren's hand as she smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

At the touch, Lauren's heart skipped a beat Lauren chuckled "I would have laughed too," the blonde simply offered, and that made Bo smile. Bo liked that Lauren could laugh at herself.

"I'm taking you to Phaistos today," Bo offered to change the topic of conversation, and just like that the pair of them were just talking lightly as they had been the day before embarrassment soon replaced by excitement for the day together and interest in the conversation they were having.

"So what's that book you're reading, the one you got so distracted by?" Bo asked about twenty minutes into their trip.

"It's the book for a script I've read."

Bo frowned. "A script?" She asked.

"For a role I'm playing."

"You're an actress." Bo stated and by the way Bo said it, Lauren knew Bo hadn't expected that.

"I am."

"A famous one?"

"Obviously not that famous, " Lauren couldn't help but chuckle with a smirk.

Bo laughed and Lauren liked the sound.

"I'm no reference, " Bo said. "I haven't watched TV or movies in years."

"Really?" Lauren said and she smiled. She'd been in enough shows over the years to be recognised by people here and there, but she found it refreshing when she wasn't because people often made assumptions about her when they did. Lauren never got into the business of theatre and acting to be famous; it was something that had just always been inside of her; a creativity that she needed to express, and perhaps at times an escapism she couldn't do without; to play someone she wasn't. But the industry, as it was called, was a hard place to be in. There were so many people often vying for the same role: jealousy, backstabbing...it was common place in that world, and you had to be lucky to get good parts; even luckier to become part of a great cast. Lauren had been lucky in that regard she knew. She'd found herself surrounded by creative and genuine people, a learning curve and thrill to work with. Still, it was a world she wanted to get away from at times too; it could be an artificial bubble, not connected to the real world, and then at times harder and more difficult than a regular job was.

"Really," Bo said. "I read newspapers and books, I go to the theater when I'm back in London or Belgium and I visit as many museums as I can."

"Back in London and Belgium?" The statement caught Lauren off guard. Bo didn't have an English accent, and she didn't know what kind of accent Belgians were supposed to have, but she didn't think Bo had a Belgian accent either.

"You're European?"

"You make that sound like I have herpes," Bo chuckled and Lauren laughed.

"No, course not..." Lauren said shaking her head half apologetically and still chuckling. "You just have no accent." Lauren said quickly hiding the fact that she thought Bo being European was awfully hot like it made her seem exotic or something.

"My father is Irish, my mother is Canadian. They wound up in Belgium and that's where I was raised, mostly."

_Belgium?_ Hmm, the only thing Lauren knew about Belgium was that it was a small country with rather poor weather. Course she was familiar with Belgian waffles, Belgian chocolate, Belgian beer...Okay, so it wasn't the most exotic country after all then. Wait though, didn't Belgians speak French? Or is that Belgian? No,... wait they spoke Dutch and French. So Bo probably spoke French. Even if it wasn't her first language, she probably spoke a bit of it. Oh, French Lauren could get behind, French was a beautiful language.

_French was hot! SENSUAL! Cause they had French kissing...and had words like 'Coup de foudre' and 'Amuse bouche', and Olala."_

"And now you are in Crete. You guys sure do get around,.." Lauren cleared her throat just in time to pull her mind out of the French gutter.

Bo laughed while nodding. "We like to travel."

"I don't travel that much, " Lauren offered just idly trying to keep the conversation going instead of blurting out how hot she thought Bo was. "I'm always out looking for a new job, or worrying about getting a new gig. This is the first vacation I've had in years!"_In years? _Lauren's inner voice cringed._ Sure! Good idea to admit you have a sad sad social life. Why not say you are pretty much a hermit who doesn't leave the house and hasn't had sex in two years while you're at it!_

"You picked a good spot then," Bo said warmly. The brunette glanced over at the blonde and gave her a soft smile. "We're very fortunate to have you here, " Bo added and with her words put Lauren at ease and made her feel all warm and tingly inside.

"My mum and dad met and fell in love here. My mum used to tuck me and my sister in with that bed time story time and time again. I suppose I've always been curious about the magic of this place, " Lauren said with a smile. She wasn't sure why she was telling Bo this, but somewhere deep inside of her there was an incurable romantic, and perhaps she felt compelled to share that part of her with Bo?

"It does have that, it's a special place, " Bo agreed with a warm smile.

"So theater and museums?" Lauren cleared her throat again.

"I'm a bit of a nerd," Bo admitted. "I like to learn." Lauren smiled at that. _Bo was a nerd too!_

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Phaistos was great. Lauren bought the booklet of information on the site and walk around figuring out where everything was while Bo shared tidbits of information that weren't in the booklet, some juicy stories, some funny details. The two of them walked around for a couple of hours speculating, thinking things out like they had the day before and everything about it had a naturelness to it like they'd been doing this for years. Lauren could tell that Bo's love of history was genuine and it ran deep. Lauren also couldn't help notice how eloquent Bo was telling the stories that she did.

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"Hungry?" Bo asked when they walked out of Phaistos. Lauren nodded, and the pair set out to find themselves something to eat.

"You should try the chicken in the oven with potatoes, " Bo said with a smile when they were finally seated. Bo had taken Lauren to a small restaurant in a small town somewhere in between Phaistos and Lauren's hotel. There were sturdy wooden chairs with straw seatings and color mismatched tables that Lauren smiled at. She liked quaint things, things that were a little old fashioned, or worn. Although this restaurant was on the beach, it wasn't a touristy destination; there were plenty of locals around going about their daily routine of living outside, drinking, eating, talking. With Bo as her guide it was as if Lauren wasn't even a real tourist here, she was being immersed into day to day Greek life and she liked that. Not surprisingly Bo knew the owners, they had greeted her and Lauren enthusiastically from the moment they came in. Bo apparently also knew a lot of the patrons there which meant more hugging and kissing, more warm greetings and short banter even before they had ordered their dinner. Through all of this hugging and kissing, it struck Lauren how warm and kind they all were with Bo and vice versa. Bo was at home here and it was a sight to see.

"It's a simple, but very local recipe. I totally love the potatoes here. I can take you to this other restaurant where you need to taste their Moussaka, but this..."

Lauren smiled listening to Bo talk enthusiastically about the food and the wine she should try. And in between Bo saying hello to yet another slew of people, which did include a couple of tourists she'd been driving around, it lead to the natural conversation about the food and the wines they liked, the restaurants they enjoyed. As a child Bo had been to Lauren's hometown Toronto quite a few times. She now visited regularly, and surprisingly had gone to and liked some of Lauren's favorite places there. Lauren told Bo how she liked to bake, how it calmed her, how she baked when she was stressed or happy and how that then lead to Lauren having handfulls of muffins and pies at her house that she would then hand out to her family, and bring to set. Lauren shared how she'd baked muffins once for a girl that had bullied her because when she was little Lauren believed muffins had a magical quality to them that could brighten everyone's day, even the bullies of this world.

"Did it work?"

"She apologized," Lauren said with a small smirk as she took another sip of her wine.

"That makes me wonder what you put in the mixture, Lewis." Bo said wiggling her eyebrows.

Lauren chuckled behind her glass. "Are you accusing my 8-year-old self of dealing in illegal substances?"

"Obviously," Bo said amused. The smile on her lips was one that reached her eyes.

Lauren laughed. "Nope, just sugar, flower, baking soda, eggs. I'll make you a batch if you want." Lauren said with a cheeky wink that she was quite proud of cause it had a flirtatious tone to it.

"That's impressive." Bo whispered and leaned in over the small table. "I'd love to taste your muffins one day, Lauren."

Bo's voice was full of innuendo, and it made Lauren's heart race, her cheeks redden. It was only with an effort of Herculian proportions that Lauren pulled her brain back into gear as she spotted the emerging smirk on Bo's lips.

"Well,..." Lauren said her voice dropping a bit too. "They are soft,..." Lauren let her words drawl "...warm and ever so sweet to bite into."

Bo bit her lip and then chuckled. She leaned back putting her wine glass to her lips and taking a small sip. Bo grinned and then shook her head, and Lauren thought she could see a faint blush on Bo's cheeks, thinking _'Gotcha!_' with a satisfied smirk. The woman's smile went even wider as she thought how the pair had now obviously landed into flirting territory and Lauren liked that a lot. Maybe that meant that Lauren had gotten out of her 'spazz phase' as Tamsin liked to call it-, with Bo. This sort of cool flirting was a definite step up from involuntarily exposing her granny bra to Bo and basically everyone at the hotel! -Eeeks, that had been horrifying!-, and maybe Lauren could just be this sort of cool and aloof chick around Bo from now on. The type that could make Bo blush, making small innuendos, the type that could walk into any bar and just pick up broads with a wink, and a hair 's angels style!

Yup! That was the new Lauren, new and improved, suave and cool! hah! With a confident smirk, Lauren took a big drink of the delicious Greek white wine she was drinking.

"I'm sure I'd let all of that sweetness melt on my tongue, and savor the taste, Lauren." Bo whispered low.

Lauren choked on the white wine she had in her mouth right in the moment that the owner of the restaurant, Davidos Ballis, had approached their table asking if the food was to their satisfaction. The man got as far as saying "Ladies, how..." before Lauren pressure sprayed most of the wine she still had in her mouth over the man's face and some of it in his open mouth that was still forming around the O sound in how. The man in turned choked on the wine he'd gotten into his mouth second hand and both of them went into coughing fits as Bo almost fell off her chair laughing.

"How was your food?"

"Fantastic. I'm surprised they let us finish it." Lauren said with a self deprecating, blushing chuckle. Lauren still felt a little embarrassed at what had happened before, but she had apologized profusely to Davidos and as Bo had translated Davidos had waved away Lauren's concerns; he had found the whole thing hilarious as had the rest of the restaurant's patrons.

"Well,...the Greek consider it good luck when you spray another person with second 'mouth' white wine."

"Really?" Lauren asked hopeful.

"No, not at all. I just made that up." Bo laughed out loud.

"Ass." Lauren chuckled.

"They are a very laid back kind of people. They tell you to relax more than they'll ever tell you to hurry up. You've endeared yourself to them now."

"You're pulling my leg again."

"I'm not." Bo shook her head with a smile. Semi wild cats were a thing here on the isle of Crete Lauren had noticed and an orange tabby had been polity lying near to their table all night long was, now that they had finished their food, sitting up next to Bo's legs. Bo gave the cat some of her leftovers and the cat purred around Bo's legs appreciatively. In another lifetime Lauren would have wanted to be a vet, and Lauren's heart burst at Bo's gesture.

_She's a Greek goddess, smart, funny, and she likes cats? My God! The perfect trifecta! _

"You're charming, Lauren." Bo said when she was done feeding the cat some of her and then Lauren's leftovers. "And you will win them over completely when you dance with them later on."

Lauren smirked at the fact that Bo called her charming, but there was a different word in Bo's sentence that Lauren latched onto."Dance?"

"All Greeks dance. It's tradition after a good meal." Bo smiled, and as if on cue the music from the band that had been playing in the background started up in earnest.

"I love dancing."

"Good to know," Bo smiled, and reached out her hand to Lauren's to pull her with her to the dance floor. All around them people had now left their tables and the tables themselves were being pushed to the side to make more room for dancing. As soon as they got to the middle, Bo handed off Lauren to a smiling Davidos while Bo herself was quickly prepositioned for a dance by one of the patrons she knew. As they danced Lauren sneaked furtive glances at Bo. Bo laughed joyously as she was being twirled and dipped, and the sound was like music to Lauren's ears. Bo was a natural at dancing; graceful and sensual and Lauren at this point wasn't even surprised anymore. The light of the moon hit Bo like candle light would and Lauren almost gasped at the sight. Bo was the most beautiful woman Lauren had ever seen.

In that moment Lauren knew she'd ask Bo to be her guide again tomorrow, and she was hoping Bo would be free for the entire week.

When Bo dropped Lauren off at her hotel that night it was only around 9pm. Almost straight after Lauren's dance with Davidos, Bo got a phone call from her boss to pick up some people from the airport and the phone call effectively cut their night short. When Lauren pushed into her hotel room, she went straight for her bed and let herself fall onto it with a sigh.

Lauren's hand reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She went to her contact list, selected the number she needed and then hit 'call'. It didn't take long before a voice on the other end replied.

"If you're calling me for sex tips, they've basically changed everything in the two years you've been gone."

"Shut up, Tam!"

**End of chap two **

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**Replies to reviews**

Thanks so much everyone for all the support to continue this story! :-) :-)

Frenchi: Awe, thanks so much! And Dyson will be coming up in one of the upcoming chapters. I'm definitely not forgetting about that! :)

Guests: Thanks!

J: Someone asked me about updating during the weekends and looky what happens ;-) Great to see you here! :-)

Guest: Awe! So nice of you to say! The embedded story is me trying something new! Lovely to see it's being appreciated!

Joan: The important thing is that you review, not so much how quickly you do it. Still, you were pretty quick ;-)

JCM: Every chap has the embedded story in it, but the other part of the chap is basically just BoLo time all the time! :-) This is definitely my attempt at something light and funny, so hope that came out in the second chap.

Susan: Crete is like the third main character here, so you'll definitely get more of it :) Great to see you here!

Guests/Koga/Bahh: You've convinced me! Arrgh! :-) :-) I'll continue! I know I say it a lot, but it's great to all see you reviewing here! Lots of love! :-)


	3. Chapter 3

Third chap, hard one to get out, and I know it's because I'm going for the slapstick of Lauren being a bit of an erratic mess and yet also allowing our pair to have real moments of getting to know one another. Hope that worked out, hope you all enjoy, and here's to hoping you all review! :-)

Long one this one! :-)

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**_1938_**

_1938 was the year Howard Hughes flew around the world in his Lockheed Super Electra in three days, nineteen hours, improving the world record by four hours also the year I was turning sixteen. That year two circus lions escaped their cages in Sittard, a small town in Holland. They walked straight into the town's church during Sunday mass. Miraculously, no one was hurt, including the lions. We wore brighter colors that year, larger floral prints, and skirt hemlines moved from ankle height to knee height to our delight and my mother's horror. We listened to the Andrew Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Fred Astaire, Bing Corsby,...and danced the Jitterbug and the Lindy Hop. 1938 was the year I had my sweet sixteen party, a thé dansant that started out very reserved with myself and a good forty friends of mine, all very well-mannered youngsters; girl friends from school and guy friends from around, and that somewhere in the middle had us swinging with our skirts a little drawn up, drinking beers and smoking. _

_It was a peculiar time to be sixteen; war was never far rom our minds with Hitler's move on Sudetenland, yet with the first world war still so fresh for many of the grown-ups around me, opinions on whether or not war would actually erupt, varied greatly. There were those convinced that the powers that be would never again allow war. After all, the Great War had been the war to end all wars, and then there were those that saw the coliision course clearly. In September of that year the disbelievers had it; Neville Chamberlain, prime minister of Britain, signed the treaty of Munich allowing Germany's annexation of Sudentenland, quoting famously "I believe it is peace for our time.", but in May of that year, it was anyone's guess, the treath loomed, and for sxiteen year old me, that meant I would enjoy life to the fullest._

_A boy called Paul with shortish light hair slicked back danced with me and I could tell by the way he held me, the way he looked at me that he liked me. He had broad shoulders, he was tall, lanky, sparkling grey eyes, a chiseled face, handsome. Paul was a friend of my cousin's, two years older than I was and about to go to university to study medicine. He was the heartthrob of the neighbourhood, and every girl in my class in that moment was envious of me. I remember the smell of his cologne, how he made me feel safe in his arms, and giddy too at the attention he was giving me, and the way he danced without effort. _

_That night was perfect; I danced, laughed, sung, and fell a little tipsy into the arms of my friends giggling uncontrolably like the teenager that I was. In all honesty, Rachel had been an afterthought until she walked in, and I caught her eye. Laughing, giggling and dancing in the middle of the dance floor with three other friends of mine, I hadn't even noticed her at first. She'd been gone to visit her family in England, gone for months, and although she'd written to me that she might be back for my birthday party, I hadn't hoped or expected it to be honest. As soon as I saw her though, my eyes and mouth lit up with the biggest smile, I yelped out her name, and flew towards her._

_Rachel tackled me to the ground and I laughed delighted in her neck. My hands flew to her face, cupped her cheeks and I looked into her kind eyes. Her hair had lost their curls, her jawline was a little more pronounced like the rest of her features, and there had been an obvious growth spurt too. She was now a couple inches taller than I was. I hugged her again as my heart filled with joy. In that moment I realised how much I had missed her. Quickly enough our reunion was interrupted by hugs and kisses from the three friends I'd been dancing with, the girls from our class we were closest to. The fab five: Stephanie, Cathérine, Louise, Rachel and myself were reunited once more. _

_As the night went on I danced with my cousin Lucien and a boy called Freddy who had sticky palms and stepped on my toes repeatedly. Most of all I danced with Paul, who dipped me, twirled me, made me laugh and made me feel beautiful with his eyes that shone brightly and followed me everywhere. Throughout the night, however, I couldn't help but sneak glances at my best friend. She had changed so much. That grace and beauty she had possessed as a child already, had only increased in the months we had spent apart. My eyes wandered and meandered over her changed physique, the obvious swell of breasts, the pink on her cheeks, the line of her jaw, the fulness of her lips, and the occasional furtive glance she would throw me. I found myself thinking Rachel had only grown more lovely, more sophisticated, more beautiful than I could remember, and that feeling settled in me unbidden and almost unwanted._

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**Day Three: It's just a little crush**

Had she called for sex tips?

_No! _

Lauren quickly replied to her own inner monologue and then rolled her eyes for good measure indicating how silly it had been to even ask herself that. Lauren had just called Tamsin to see how she had been doing, she'd called Tamsin because she loved her sister, and because they always called one another at least once a week to catch up.

_Sisterly concern and love and all that._

She hadn't even called Tamsin to talk about Bo! It was only Tamsin who **thought** Lauren would want to talk about Bo! Why would she wanted to have talked about Bo? Bo was just a woman Lauren found very attractive. That didn't mean that Lauren had needed to call Tamsin for sex advice! Lauren thought as she cued the line in the downstairs breakfast bar of the hotel and put a few pastries, some scrambled eggs and fresh fruit on her plate.

_Yes, it had been some time since Lauren had been with a woman, but it was ridiculous to think that she needed any advice in that department, it was ridiculous to think that 'they had changed everything in two years time' like Tamsin had said._

_Right?_

_Right! _

Lauren pressed the Cappuccino button on the coffee machine and watched how hot, steamy milk mixed with hot coffee, and briefly entertained the thought of sex with Bo.

_I bet it's hot and steamy too!_ Lauren thought briefly and felt her cheeks reddening at the touch.

_But that wasn't the point!_ Lauren took her Cappuccino and then balanced her food careful not to spill any of it to one of the tables on the outside terrace that overlooked a beautiful rocky stretch of the ocean. The view was stunning and overwhelming, and this spot here, this view was Lauren's favorite at the hotel, but this morning the view was lost on Lauren who was still too preoccupied with her thoughts. It was on instinct alone that Lauren put her plates and coffee down, and then slung her handbag over her chair. Lauren slid into her seat and cut into her croissant with the precision of a surgeon, then briskly smeared some butter into the pastry.

_The point was that Lauren didn't need any sex advice, or any other advice like relationship advice or advice on how to handle the situation with Bo or whatever because Lauren was merely attracted to Bo._

_ That was **all.**_

_And an attraction towards a beautiful woman on an island wasn't enough for Lauren to instigate or even contemplate sex...W__ell, not in earnest! __Lauren wasn't like that, she wasn't the type for one night stands. She'd had two her entire life; one during college, and one after she'd broken up with Nadia and neither of them had been particularly pleasurable. Sex without feelings just wasn't her thing, and she'd never enjoyed the walk of shame that followed and she very much doubted she'd start enjoying it now. No matter how much Tamsin said it would do her some good._

Lauren dug into her scrambled eggs and for a moment registered how tasty they were.

So, obviously, there was no reason for sex tips, or the suggestion that Lauren should ask Bo out on a date, because Lauren was only here a week, and Bo who may or may not be gay -although the flirting did seem to suggest she wasn't clueless about the Sapphic ways- was European and worked in Greece, and so they lived and worked on opposite corners of the world, and so it wasn't like there was a...

Hmmm..

Lauren bit into her croissant.

...and see...

...there wasn't even a reason to finish that train of thought because Lauren was just attracted to Bo. It wasn't even like she had a crush, and it wasn't at all like she was in love! She just found Bo attractive and she thought she was nice, and funny, and interesting, and...

Well...never mind all that...

The point was and is that Lauren, probably cause she'd been sex deprived for many many, many, many, MANY months... Lauren chewed on another piece of croissant with a sigh..., and Bo was drop dead gorgeous, was projecting onto Bo, and that Lauren's attraction to Bo was **purely** physical.

**_Purely physical! _**Lauren stressed in her mind.

The blonde took a sip of her Cappuccino, her hands cupping the mug and closed her eyes briefly relishing the taste of the bitter liquid.

"Morning, Lauren... mind if I join you?"

Lauren's head snapped up as her mouth fell open. Standing in front of her table was the object of Lauren's internal ramble. Bo McCorrigan looked beautifully radiant with the backdrop of the ocean behind her. She wore Tom Cruise Top Gun aviator sun glasses, another barely there vacation outfit and was flashing her dimples.

_Damnit!_

_Very **very** attracted?_

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**Gortyna Roman ruins**

An old church? Lauren asked looking up at the partially reconstructed keep of Agios Titos.

It dates back to the second century when Christianity was slowly becoming more popular."

"Amazing to think there are people and bigots out there claiming the one truth from the bible when for thousands and thousands of years, longer than our own meager two thousand years people believed in polytheism, in several gods." Lauren mused, and Bo nodded.

"History puts the world in perspective. Neither the Romans or the Greeks were squeamish about same sex relationships, and yet some people and some parts of the globe still struggle with that every day." Bo wasn't one to preach, but if history had taught her one thing it was that values, morals, behaviors were both consistent and ever shifting in society and that to think or even suggest that one specific era, religion, belief or school of thought had it all right was a ridiculous notion.

Lauren on her part perked up at Bo's words. Flirting AND mentioning gay rights. The odds of Bo actually being gay were getting more likely by the minute!

_Well, well!_

If Lauren had been a little bit more like her sister Tamsin she would have just asked about Bo being gay or not,...Well, in all honesty, Tamsin would have already asked Bo out on a date, would have possibly already slept with Bo. Tamsin would tell you -and actually she had told Lauren again the night before- that physical attraction alone should be the basis of any relationship. Suffice to say, that wasn't the way Lauren looked at relationships. Lauren was the cautious type, the type to overthink things. Case in point; although Lauren had been attracted to Nadia pretty quickly after meeting her, it had taken Lauren three months before she had worked up the courage to ask the woman out, and then when Nadia had said yes, Lauren had been more surprised than anything else. And so, because Lauren was rational Lauren and not impulsive, sex crazy or minded Tamsin, Lauren didn't go for the direct question, but simply stored that little tidbit of information about Bo away.

"People are people," Lauren said pulling her mind back on topic. "Who they love doesn't matter, just the fact that they do..." Lauren commented and smiled softly. In Lauren's line of work, sexuality was looked upon without complications mostly. There were times she'd have to play a gay woman, then a straight. It didn't matter to her, it mattered to her to find that spot deep in herself that knew what love was and then project that, for role purposes, onto the person she was playing opposite against. It was easier to do with people you liked for sure, but it was a true testament to the kind of actor you were when you could find that genuine feeling inside of you with anyone.

Bo nodded thoughtfully agreeing with her and then said: "The church isn't what we're here for."

"You promised Roman ruins, tour guide. You better deliver," Lauren replied in a mock scathing tone.

Bo chuckled. "I did. Come on," Bo said and the pair walked past the ruined church to the back and up a small dirt path lined with old olive trees. Everywhere here in Crete was hilly, and when Bo and Lauren topped the hill, Lauren smiled at the outline of stairs in a half circle she could see in the valley down below.

"It's an Odeon," Bo offered, and Lauren was nodding lost in wonderment as she kept staring; she had recognized the structure the moment it came into view. "Gortyna was the capital of Crete for the Romans, so they had everything here; from an Amfitheater, to a Stadium and an Odeon. Obviously nothing like on the scale or opulence of Rome, but still impressive," Bo continued with a smile.

The pair walked down, and Lauren was amazed of how much of the structure had been preserved.

"They've had to reconstruct and reinforce some of the parts here and there with concrete and wood, but for the most part it's all still there."

"We still build theaters in much the same way," Lauren offered walking around the ruins thinking about the history classes in her advanced Theater studies finding the three entrances on the right, middle and the left. "Quite the evolution from the Minoan theater, and yet at the same time you can see where the ideas were already formed there too."

Bo smiled and nodded agreeing. Lauren was enthusiastic, passionate, and bright, and Bo loved watching this beautiful woman explore. "How do you like your stage?" The brunette asked.

"My stage?" Lauren asked looking up a little puzzled. They were now standing in the middle of the Odeon, in front of the half circle seating and looking up at the stage.

"Course. Big enough?" Bo grinned pointing at the stage.

Lauren grinned back as she started feeling giddy. Bo had taken her here to show her this, to show the Odeon to her in the hopes that the blonde would connect to it, that it would mean something to Lauren being here. And, oh boy, did it ever! It was such a sweet and considerate thing for Bo to do.

Lauren quickly went round the back, climbed the few steps of the ancient ruin until she was on the raised platform. Lauren couldn't really describe what she was feeling right at that particular moment in time, but the closest way she could was to say she felt 'awe'. Awe for the many centuries in between now and then where people that had been passionate about the same craft she was, had stood on this very spot, had given it their all every time, like she had. The Greeks and the Romans were the founders of modern theater. To be here, touching history, was a privilege. Lauren wasn't a stage actress, she worked in television and movies mainly, but her career had started out on stage, her college days had seen her perform there many a time. To be standing here was powerful, and as Lauren's feet found purchase on the ruined but still elegant stage, Lauren didn't have to search long for the words of a play she remembered from her college days, and soon the words were rolling effortlessly from her tongue.

As Lauren recited part of Antigone, one of the great Greek tragedies written by Sophocles, Bo smiled happily and used her phone to snap a few pictures.

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"It's called the Code of Gortyn, Queen of Inscriptions, the oldest surviving example of codified legislation in Europe dating back to the 5th century BC, Bo said five minutes later as Lauren was peeking through a fence staring at a long wall with an ancient Greek text carved on.

"BC? I thought the Roman ruins were from AD 200?"

"You've been paying attention."

"I figured there might be a test at the end of the week or something," Lauren said smiling.

"There is. I hope you've been taking notes. You won't be allowed to leave the island if you fail."

Lauren laughed. "You'd better explain it to me then, teach." Lauren added a smirk to match her tone, though she couldn't help but smile at the thought of not leaving the island. As long as Bo would be there, that actually sounded pretty good.

"This probably would have been located somewhere near the Agora or the Senate House in Greek times, somewhere central for everyone to read. When the Romans came the Greek laws, written in Doric dialect, became obsolete so they removed them and reused the stones for the foundation of the Odeon."

"And saved the original text."

Bo smiled nodding her head. "Funny how chance sometimes works."

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"Are you kidding me?" Lauren asked some twenty minutes later. The pair had crossed the busy road they'd originally come into, and had ventured into what looked like just a stretch of wooded land. It hadn't taken long though before Bo and Lauren had found a cobbled pathway through the stretch of land and Lauren saw stacks of stones, walls, outlines of buildings littered all over with plants and shrubberies growing wildly over them. An extra few minutes walking earned them a few signs: 'Praetorium, Shrine to the Egyptian Gods' They followed the Praetorium route, and that's where Lauren was baffled.

Bo chuckled. "Nope."

"But, there's no security here, no one to check your ticket!" Lauren retorted indignantly.

"There's a fence..." Bo offered looking at the tattered, worn and basically on life support fence that lined the outlined of the ruins of the Praetorium. She was tempted to kick it, or just slightly push it with her foot thinking that would probably be enough to kill it. "Somewhat," Bo added.

"My Nana could push that fence over!" Lauren sputtered, and Bo laughed at Lauren's incredulous tone.

"It's huge." Lauren commented as she got a better look and then moved around the enfenced area the tall, dry grass crunching under her feet.

"Massive. One of the best preserved Roman Governor's mansions in the whole of Greece."

"Please don't tell me that's a genuine thousand year old statue just standing out in the open like that?!" Lauren exclaimed as they rounded the archeological site and got a better look at the east entrance. There looming up in a straight line before them and amid a myriad of scattered columns and fallen down walls was the statue of a Roman, headless, but with the detail and craftmanship of his tunic cut out in fine, white marble still visible to the naked eye.

"We don't have anything this old of that quality anywhere in North America, and here it's,...it's just here! Like it's an ugly looking public bench or something! Seriously?" Lauren continued in her indignant tone. "The fence is laughable! How many nanas have pushed that over and stepped on something they shouldn't have or 'taken a damn souvenir'?"

"Tell me how you really feel!" Bo grinned, liking that Lauren was seemingly as passionate about history and conserving it as she was. She had never heard Lauren curse before, and although Bo had only known Lauren for a couple of days she thought she wasn't the type to curse quickly unlike Bo herself. Bo thought it was utterly adorable when Lauren did though. On Lauren's end, Bo's tone had reminded Lauren how heated she had sounded without her noticing.

The blonde shook her head and looked up. "Sorry, it's just..."

"No, no...I mean, tell me how you really feel! Always!" Bo interrupted. "Please,.." Bo said and smiled. A genuine smile, Lauren thought. She'd been paying attention to Bo's smiles and she hadn't seen many fake ones but there had been a few. "I love seeing this side of you, the passionate side, don't hide it away. Ever."

"Is this the moment where I confess to my OCD tendencies and tell you I also really want to tidy up here, categorize and log it instead of seeing all of this just lying about?"

Bo laughed out loud. "Does it make you want to scale the fence?"

Lauren chuckled, and then admitted. "A bit. I like order." Lauren grinned her confidence having soared at Bo's laughter.

"I could make that happen," Bo smirked and Lauren caught the glint in her eyes.

"You wouldn't stop me?"

"Scaling the fence, getting your OCD on? Nope, I'd go with you, 'grab a souvenir' while you weren't watching." Bo smirked cheekily.

Lauren laughed out loud, but then her mind snagged. "Wait...What? You're kidding,- right?"

"I'm kidding," Bo chuckled gently and warmly. She loved how easy it was to tease Lauren, Bo loved how Lauren and she interacted, but most of all Bo found that she really loved making Lauren smile. "The archeologists are still working on the site... All these structures we passed, it's all the town of Gortyna. There are so many treasures just burried underneath our feet, but getting the funds to put a team on something like this...Especially when Crete is known mostly for the Minoan sites, well... it's not always easy."

Lauren nodded understanding how politics, priorities and money played a part in the world they lived in, and that for some these ancient ruins were less a priority than for others.

"Come on, let's go play archeologist ourselves!" Bo wiggled her brows, enthusiasm sparkling bright in her eyes and voice. Bo reached for Lauren's hand as she half dragged her over to the next set of ruins that lay open and bare for the public. The sun shone down on them and Bo's touch made Lauren's heart skip a beat. When they reached a clearing Lauren noticed a Corinthian column base pushed up against a pile of rocks. Again it struck Lauren that these ruins were just laying there as if they didn't belong in a museum. In a way it was both shocking and thrilling at the same time to be able to see the remains of a civilization in situ, to be able to touch them, or even steal them should you be so inclined. Lauren noticed that the clearing they were in was an elongated rectangle with columns lining the side it seemed every few meters.

"A Roman market, an agora or maybe a stadium?" Lauren suggested.

"They think it was the Agora. Still digging."

"It's extra-ordinary, beautiful..." Lauren said running her finger over the carved lines of the stone base as she sat next to it her knees bent.

"I think it's one of the things that drew me to Roman and Greek culture," Bo agreed nodding her head as she walked up to Lauren and bent through her knees beside her. "It's all so beautiful and elegant, and I know that's probably a very superficial thing to say. I have no misgivings about who the Romans were, how war hungry they were, geared towards expansion, and how this grandeur was about showing off, but still there's something so appealing, attractive to the thought of a lost civilization, a lost empire of sparkling white."

"It's the mystery, and the elegance, it sparks the imagination." Lauren said as they stared together at the stone base. Lauren was in the business of imagining, in the business of connecting either with feelings or places or people, and stories, and so these sort of places always spoke deeply to her.

"Is that how it works for you?" Bo asked intrigued glancing over at Lauren. "I mean when you prepare for a role like you do... Do you visit the country, the people? Is this movie you're doing about a woman trapped on Crete with a devastatingly beautiful but annoyingly history obsessed guide?"

Lauren snorted at that. "History obsessed? I'm starting to think you weren't kidding about that exam at the end of the week."

"I wasn't. There are people living in Dyson's basement who haven't made it off the island yet."

"You being one of them."

"Exactly!" Bo laughed and she grinned sideways at Lauren. Bo liked the ridiculous banter between them; it was refreshing and she hadn't felt this relaxed and easy around another person in a long time. "I've been condemned to driving tourists around ever since."

Lauren laughed again and then started on her reply to Bo's question in earnest liking how genuinely interested Bo seemed to be in what Lauren did for a living.

"And yes, actually, I will do my research: visit the country, try to get a feel for the character and the events as much as possible if I think that's necessary, and other times I only read the script and let my imagination work for me."

"What about the script you're reading now?"

"Definitely needs research," Lauren nodded. "It's based on novel, a story of fiction, but placed in a historic setting."

"What's the book about?" Bo asked, and again Lauren could see that Bo was genuinely interested so Lauren didn't hesitate to tell Bo about the character and story of Rachel. When Lauren finished she looked up at Bo who had a curious expression on her face that Lauren couldn't really read.

"That doesn't sound like an easy character to prep for," Bo offered after a long pause.

"It's not," Lauren agreed. "But, I like a challenge."

Bo nodded and gave Lauren a curt smile that made Lauren's brow furrow. The curt smile was a new one for Lauren. It felt fake somehow and it gave Lauren a pause for thought, but only a moment because when Bo looked up at her again, her usual jovial and warm caring smile Lauren had been craving to see was back in place, and with it their light banter returned as well.

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Beach or more culture? Bo asked when they got back to the car sliding into their seats, and Lauren's mind almost shortcircuited at the prospect of seeing Bo in beachware. Without permission Lauren's mind imagined Bo on the beach, slowly stripping on a secluded beach to a barely there bikini..She could see Bo's toned and shapely legs in her mind's eye, the Claudia Shiffer meets Brigitte Bardot proportions; then upwards to the even softer line of Bo's abdomen and side; the belly button just above the skimpy black bottom of the bikini...

"Lauren?" Bo prompted, shaking Lauren from her daydream.

**"Bikini!"** Lauren blurted out where her mind had snagged.

Bo laughed out loud. "Wh-what?"

Lauren cleared her throat again blushing madly as her mind rushed to cover up her outburst. "Fu-fun fact,...did you know that the inventor of the Bikini actually named it after the Bikini Atoll where the United States tested its atomic bomb because he wanted his creation to have impact?"

Bo arched a brow, then smiled brightly at how cute Lauren was when she was trying to cover up her embarrassment. Terribly cute, actually. Also, Lauren was a bit of a fact geek Bo realised, and she found that very appealing. "I did not know that, but good to know." Bo said reaching back behind her to grab two bottles of water from the cooler in the backseat, and handed one to Lauren.

"Thanks." Lauren mumbled grateful for the cool water not in the least because she hoped it would lessen the redden flush on her cheeks.

"Subligaculum."

"Huh?"

"Well, if you want to get technical, which, obviously, I do, subligaculum or subligaria and strophium. The Roman 4th Century equivalent of the Bikini. There's a mosaic in the Villa Romana del Casala in Sicily that depicts Roman sportswomen wearing bikinis. The museum of London actually has a leather example of them in their collection. "

"You've seen it?" Lauren asked rasing a brow behind another sip of her water.

"The mosaic or the leather bikini?"

"Uh, both?"

"Both." Bo smiled refraining from a cheeky comment, and putting the cap of her water bottle back on.

"Kinky," Lauren replied and Bo laughed out loud making Lauren relax and grin again.

"You have no idea," Bo mumbled under her breath almost inaudibly. "Sand or rock, Lewis?" Bo asked her voice loud enough to be registered again, an amused grin still on her face.

"Rock, please."

"Secluded or touristy?"

_Seriously?_ _If there was ever a no-brainer..._"Secluded."

"Off we go," Bo said and as the wheels of the jeep spun on the gravel road under them. "I'll take you to Prevali beach, you have to walk up to it for a good ten minutes to get to it. It's actually pretty touristy, but a hike up and over a couple of hills gets you to the less crowded bays in no time."

"A view, a hike and a secluded beach? You're spoiling me."

Bo grinned. "Remember to review us favorably on booking dot com."

"Dashingly beautiful, yet history obsessed guide was it?" Lauren worded out as if she was already starting to write her review.

"Devastatingly beautiful." Bo corrected with a small smile and Lauren laughed again shaking her head. Half at eliciting a smile from Bo, half because she couldn't disagree.

The conversation in the car again flowed naturally for the next hour or so until their destination.

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Prevali beach was everything Bo said it would be, and after the first hike down the river that lead to the beach, Lauren grinned wide at the sight. Prevali was a sandy beach but there were more than enough rocks on the edge of the bay to dive to and explore the sea life there. As Bo had told her the beach was busy, but not overcrowded, and to Lauren this level of crowded was actually nice, cosy almost as she saw people of all ages lounge in the sun or go for a dip in the water. Lauren noticed beach chairs and beds strewn across the sand and beach bars providing food and drinks to the tourists. She also noticed there was a wooden shack near the end of the beach where you could rent scuba gear and water jets.

Forgoing the thought of a secluded beach, Lauren piped up turning towards Bo. "Have you ever gone scuba diving?"

Bo's vacant stare told Lauren all she needed to know.

"Come on," Lauren said grabbing Bo's hand and pulling her with her. "I'll show you." Lauren and Bo laughed as they made their way to the wooden shack running like little kids through the sand. Once there, Lauren quickly got them set up with two sets of scuba gear. To change they retreated to two small rooms inside the shack.

Lauren was the first one out of the shack. When Bo exited the shack Lauren was already busy putting on her scuba gear.

The moment Lauren saw Bo in her bikini, Lauren was transfixed, eyes wide and jaw dropping.

Bo was even more beautiful than the fantasy Lauren had foolishly indulged in. As if her mind could have conceived of a creature as perfect as Bo? She was all feminine curves in the right places: sensual hips and legs, tanned skin, and beautiful arms, a flat belly; the muscles just slightly defined showcasing just how fit this woman was, and then of course, the showstopper: round and full, generous breasts.

_Damnit! Snap out of it Lewis!,_ Lauren chided inwardly

Lauren bit her lip, closed her eyes briefly and looked away. She'd been taught not to stare, not to objectify. Mabel and Peter Lewis had raised her right, and that upbringing served as a mental kick to the butt.

But Mabel and Peter's upbringing never factored in Bo McCorrigan's saunter, and Lauren's eyes wandered again. Bo was all strut, with no swagger; all quiet and natural confidence as her hips and body swayed gracefully, and even with her eyes closed Lauren could see that snapshot of Bo McCorrigan in her mind in vivid detail.

_Eat your heart our Claudia and Brigitte! _Lauren thought as her eyes roamed over Bo's chest, tracing every curve, every dip, noting the puckered dots straining against the material.

_**"HOT MAMASITA!" **_Lauren suddenly heard, and worried for a horrible moment that what had been in her head, had come out through her mouth. Cause hell yeah, Bo was hot! a hot mamasita with hotsauce, calliente! _**  
**_

_**"Hot piece of ASS!" **_Wait, what? This wasn't her voice right? Lauren knew people sounded different in real life than they did to themselves, and therefore couldn't stand to listen to recordings of her own voice, but surely Lauren's voice wasn't this low? _**  
**_

_Surely?_

_**"Come on, baby!" **_Okay, this definitely wasn't Lauren's voice, and if this wasn't Lauren's inner voice that had somehow wrestled its way out, then it was someone else thinking and saying these things about Bo! _What the fuck!_ Lauren thought and Lauren's protectiveness which had been fierce and legendary since highschool, more specifically from the moment Lauren had socked Jodie Wittmayer in the jaw after Jodie had called Tamsin a 'dumb dyke and bitch', suddenly shot through her._**  
**_

Five idiots ogled Bo, the cat whistles and jeers continued, and Lauren in Terminator mode, headed straight towards the group.

_**"You can ride me anytime, guapa!"**_

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"Oh my God, Lauren! Are you alright?" Bo hurried up to Lauren as she was cursing and shaking her hand.

"Lemme see!" Bo urged as soon as she reached Lauren. Carefully, Bo took Lauren's hand in hers as Lauren unclenched her hand softly hissing at the action.

"Dang, Lauren...we're going to have to disinfect this. Hold on," Bo commented seeing the bruised and broken skin on Lauren's knuckles. She disappeared into the wooden shack, and emerged again a minute later with a first aid kit. Bo guided Lauren to one of the beach chairs in front of the shack and got out the Isobetadine. She pored a little of it on a clean cloth and then took Lauren's hand into her own. She dipped the cloth over the wounds, wincing inwardly every time Lauren did.

"Sorry..."

"Nah, thanks. Just stings a little."

Bo looked up into Lauren's eyes and smiled sympathetically.

"You've got a mean right hook. Remind me to never piss you off." Bo chuckled and Lauren chimed in.

"I might think twice about doing this again. I didn't know decking someone could hurt this much."

"Well, if that guy's lip is anything to go by, I still think you got the better end of the deal."

"He deserved it. They shouldn't have said those things about you." Lauren said fiercely.

Bo smiled softly. "And so you just decide to punch him?"

Lauren shrugged. "I uhm...wanted to just tell them off, but then that last comment was just so..." Lauren clenched her jaw her anger resurfacing at the man's lewd remarks.

"Thanks," Bo looked up into Lauren's eyes still holding Lauren's hand in hers. "Don't think I've ever had someone defend my honor that way."

"I find that hard to believe. I would imagine everyone jumping up at a chance to be your hero." _Well, shit! _Lauren thought and chewed her lips nervously. _What is it with me and blurting out stupid stuff around Bo? _

Bo locked eyes with Lauren seemingly searching and assessing, a look so intense it made Lauren's heart race and she eventually looked away.

"Well, I mean...not that you need a hero," Lauren mumbled out awkwardly, suddenly very aware of how macho she had been, how sexist (in a way, but then not really? What was the word?), how assuming. "You are perfectly fine on your own..."

"Hmm, well, I could do a lot worse than having a gorgeous hero defend my honor," Bo smiled gently, and Lauren melted.

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When the pair exited the water hours later, the sun was making its way down to set, and the temperature had dropped to a balmy 27 degrees Celsius. They were helped out of their heavy scuba gear, and quickly sprayed off the salt from their skins under the beach shower, then fell back onto their chairs exhausted, the sun warming their skins like a blanket. Bo and Lauren had spent hours swimming, exploring, always venturing up further down the coast pointing out colorful fish and beautiful reefs to one another. On occasion they would pull out of the water for a break on harder to reach and less touristy bays, drink from their water bottles, chat; and soak up some sun before returning to the deep blue and continuing their exploration.

"That was fantastic, " Bo said with an exhausted but delighted sigh. "I can't believe I've never done that before. Can we do that again?"

"Yes!" Lauren replied quickly, eagerly_, _delighted that Bo wanted to go Scuba diving, wanted to do anything with her again. "But not today? I'm exhausted, and hungry.."

"Me too..." Bo chuckled. "And, yeah, definitely not today.." she agreed. "Let's just lay here a little bit longer, dry up and then I'll take you out to eat to that Moussaka place I told you about."

"That sounds perfect," Lauren said because it did in her head. Neither Lauren nor Bo were picky about food. Lauren could have easily been. Her line of work created food obsessed people, but Lauren wasn't one of them. She liked greasy food as much as she enjoyed healthy food, and she hated the gym.

Actually, Lauren wasn't really one for working out in general. Luckily there were things like woods, and dogs that liked to be walked in said woods, and Lauren briefly wondered if Bo liked dogs and woods too.

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"I can take you and then come pick you up in Sougia." Bo spoke after taking a sip of her wine. Lauren and Bo had settled at a quiet table in the corner of the terrace. Strofilia was another local beach restaurant with wooden straw chairs and wobbly tables. With a sun that had already set, soft candle light, and the sounds of waves breaking in the background, Lauren had been stealing glances at Bo all night. She found she liked how Bo's hands and body moved when she talked; she found herself fixating on Bo's dimples, on the warmth of her smile and her voice. At times Lauren would find herself distracted from the conversation momentarily picturing what it would be like to kiss those lips that smiled so beautifully, but a feeling of disappointment quickly snagged Lauren back to the moment.

"You're not coming with?"

"I have people to drive around tomorrow", Bo said with an almost apologetic smile.

"Your work sucks," Lauren said, unable to filter her disappointment. Lauren really hadn't meant to said that out loud, but today had been a long day; swimming, exploring the sea of Crete the entire afternoon had left her body sluggish, and tired and it was obviously messing with her social filter. And truly she did think Bo's work sucked. Seriously, people couldn't take a bus, or get a local guide, buy a guidebook? Why were people so damn spoiled? What was wrong with them?

"Sorry, sometimes my mind and.."

"I like it when your filter falters. It's refreshing, lets me know what you're really thinking," Bo smiled interrupting her and looked into Lauren's eyes making Lauren feel as if Bo was looking straight into her soul. "Besides, my work does sometimes suck," Bo added with a wink to which both of them chuckled, but it didn't stop Lauren's heart from being in overdrive.

_What was this woman doing to her? _

"You want to know what I'm really thinking?"

"I want to know about you, yes."Bo said quickly nodding her head.

Lauren smiled. "Like what?"

"Like everything?" Bo asked with a smile equally as wide.

Lauren didn't know if Bo was serious, but the words themselves made Lauren's breath hitch regardless. She knew tonight wasn't a date, but with the romantic setting as it was, a cozy, local restaurant on a beautiful beach -for goodness sake!-, and Bo looking at her the way she did, saying the things that she did, it wasn't a very big leap for Lauren to think and feel like this was in fact a date.

"Well, if you want to know everything, you should start somewhere."

Bo smiled. "True, very true. What's your passion, Lauren?" Bo asked without missing a beat.

"My work." Lauren replied just as quickly, then chuckled. "I just realised how much of a nerd that makes me sound."

Bo grinned. "Not at all, I thought it might be actually. I feel the same way."

"I see that.." Lauren said thinking about how much Bo loved talking about traveling, culture, and history.

"Passions are fascinating. Tell me about yours?"

Lauren grinned, a warmth filling her body making her smile. "Where to start?"

"Have you always wanted to be an actress?"

"From the time I was about eleven," Lauren nodded. "I was always climbing up on chairs reciting or singing something whenever my family got together. I'd go all out playbacking Tina Turner wigs and everything, or I'd have my nose stuck in books reading poems, stories, plays...One day Tamsin was in a school production, she was playing the lead, and she took me with her to the rehearsals. I loved it. Watching everyone work together like that, the draw of the stage, playing someone you weren't. It was love at first sight..."

"You must have been one hell of a cute kid," Bo said. Her grin so broad that Lauren felt the butterflies swirl again.

"If you had asked my sister Tamsin, she would say I was an obnoxious brat back then."

"Were you?" Bo asked. Amused, twinkling eyes kept eye contact with Lauren as she took another sip of her wine.

"Insufferable," Lauren replied and that made Bo laugh out loud.

The pair's food arrived and they continued chatting and laughing, holding eye contact longer than what was considered normal.

As they ate, they continued talking just like they always tended to; easy with lots of natural laughs in between. So far this date with Bo, which wasn't a real date mind you -it was just Lauren having dinner with a woman she found insanely attractive-, was a lot more pleasant and successful than many non dates, and real dates Lauren had been on.

Any date.. actually...

For about the last two years Lauren had been single. After her break with Nadia she'd been gone out a few times, but nothing had ever really panned out, she'd just not felt that connection with the woman she'd gone on a date with. Those women she had drinks with never had Lauren wondering what their lips would feel like pressed up against hers, they never had her thinking she could listen to their voice, listen to them talk for hours. The women were never as interesting as Bo was: Bo who had been all over the world, had seen so many places, seemingly knew so much about history and culture. And those dates had certainly never made her act like a complete fumbling idiot like Bo did, nor did they have eyes like Bo's; eyes so deep and brown you could find yourself lost in them, or surprisingly had made her feel as relaxed as Bo did.

In fact, the few dates that she had gone on had been pretty horrendous.

No really, horrendous was the right word for said dates.

Often times Lauren and her dates had simply ran out of things to talk about when they'd covered the standard questions; like what do you do? What are your hobbies? After the basics, the conversation then quickly stopped in Awkward Ville where weird silences were desperately trying to be filled with comments about the food, the weather, and lots of drinking and then awkward glances at the clock. With Bo that never seemed to happen. The pair of them hadn't even gotten round to covering all of the standard questions yet. Sure, Bo know about Lauren's job, she knew a little about Lauren's family (cause Lauren kept talking about them), and she'd know a lot more soon enough, but that information hadn't been pried out rather it had just sort of been offered in the natural flow of conversation, and Lauren didn't know that much about Bo, or well, Bo's background. Where she had grown up, who her family was,... They hadn't gotten round to all of that yet. The pair just got along, making jokes, one topic flowing effortlessly into the next, and that made Lauren feel like she had always known Bo.

One woman Lauren had gone out with kept mispronouncing and overusing the word 'heinous' making it into a diphthong 'haynious', and Lauren's mind for some reason had latched onto that mispronounciation. The entire night that mispronounciation was on repeat in Lauren's head and from the woman's mouth. It got to the point where Lauren couldn't even concentrate on the date anymore. All she heard was 'haynious' and all she could think about was correcting the woman in front of her.

Lauren didn't want to be rude though. Lauren was hardly ever rude. No, when the rudeness genes had been handed out in the Lewis household, they'd been given to Lauren's sister Tamsin, not Lauren. But, Lauren did contemplate the very pertinent question whether or not it would be of moral character to continue to let this woman mispronounce a word like that. Eventually, the pressure became too much, and Lauren jumped up from her seat yelling "IT'S HEINOUS!", to which every eye in the rather full and fancy restaurant Lauren was dining in, turned to her. Realizing what she had just done Lauren's cheeks flushed red, and she excused herself awkwardly to go to the ladies' room. When Lauren came back from her bathroom break, she found her date had left.

Then there was the time she went out with a woman Tamsin had set her up with. Lauren had been in a rut for a few months by that time. The three dates she'd been on hadn't been a success and Lauren was starting to wonder if she'd lost her touch, if perhaps her position on 'the market' wasn't as favorable anymore as it used to be. Also, Lauren was horny as hell. So when Tamsin came to her with the advice that she "_needed a good shag",_ Lauren couldn't wholeheartedly disagree, and she let Tamsin set her up with a woman that was sure "_to rev her drowned engine once more."_ The date had picked her up at her home and had talked about nothing but her car the entire way to the restaurant. When the pair arrived at the restaurant, the woman dropped Lauren off in front of it. The woman tried to parallel park her car three times a few cars down and then gave up and drove off leaving Lauren standing in front of the restaurant. Lauren called a cab after waiting for about twenty minutes and realizing the woman wasn't coming back. From the cab Lauren called Tamsin. The cabby arched an eyebrow or two at the colorful language Lauren had reserved for her sister.

One woman she found she had had a lot in common with, and the date had actually gone pretty well until the woman 'Piper' Lauren thought her name was- had asked Lauren if she was related in any way to Tamsin Lewis. From that question on Lauren quickly discovered that she was actually out on a date with one of her sister's exes whom she had only dumped a month prior to Lauren's date. The entire situation lead to Lauren feeling highly uncomfortable not only because Piper started to ugly cry in front of her. Lauren had tried to soothe the upset woman, but things escalated when Piper's waterworks suddenly and without warning changed to violent rants and name calling. Lauren fled the restaurant that night ducking a table spoon, two wine glasses and one club soda.

In comparison to this date with Bo... -It wasn't a date. Lauren knew that!- The dates failed in comparison, the women failed in comparison,...

Okay, okay, so perhaps this thing with Bo is more than just simple attraction Lauren inwardly admitted.

_I might possibly have like the smallest crush on her. _

_A small crush. _

_Just a little crush. _

_That's all. _

_It's just a little crush. _

* * *

Replies to Reviews

**Joan**: :-) :-)

**Susan**: Thanks, that's so nice of you to say! :-)

**French**i: Hahaha, I get that. I'm not too bothered bout Dyson usually either. ;-)

**J**: We'll get there with the two of them, yup! :-)

**Junetweed:** Awe! People like you enjoying the things I write is why I keep writing, so thanks for that! :-) Bolo chemistry is da bomb ;-)

**Bahh**: Isn't it just? I got to thinking about that when writing Christmas Date...that there should be a little more fluff and humor in the narrative that is! :-)

**Koga**: She does, but she's shy and awkward. They'll get there though, promise! :-)

**Sweetcandycane**: Okay, okay! More is coming! :-)


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter was written during Corona times, but is set before that...So nobody got hurt during the writing of this! ;-) haha!

Remember the time when there was no social distance? Good times, right?

Until those return, let's just live vicariously through Bo and Lauren in Crete!

This chap is about a date, or asking someone on a date..Something like that...It's late and my brain is all up in a fog. Not to mention, I'm watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the scene where Dumbledore dies, and I'm like an utter sniffling mess!

In any case it's long, and it has a lot of Lauren's inner monologue ramblings in it.

Enjoy if you are so inclined, and review if you are so kind ;-)

Night peeps!

xx

Replies to reviews below :-)

* * *

**Day 4 : Will you go out on a date,...with me?  
**

**On route to Samaria Gorge National Park**

Okay, so this thing she had for Bo, it was more than just a little crush. That's the conclusion Lauren came to yesterday night when she was lying in her bed, and all she could do was grin goofily thinking about the day she had spent with Bo. It was, Lauren had concluded, quite possible that Lauren had a crush,

Like a proper crush, not just a little crush.

It wasn't like she was ready to declare her undying love to Bo, or start daydreaming about a life with her, or their wedding, although Lauren could easily picture Bo in a wedding dress smiling joyously at her with those dimples walking down the ais-

_Okay...Wow! Yeah, okay! Reel it back in, Lewis! This is a crush, and you need not get ahead of yourself! _

_First things first._

Maybe Lauren could ask Bo on a date? Lauren thought. It wasn't like Lauren hadn't been bold before. She had, she'd been bold, very bold, uncharacteristically bold even that first day when she'd asked Bo to be her guide for the following day. Sure, that had been under the guise of a professional offer, but truly anyone- anyone here being Lauren's sister Tamsin and Lauren's mother Mabel- knew, even then, that Lauren had a thing for Bo and that asking Bo to be her guide the following date had been Lauren's passive assertive way of asking Bo out on a date. The problem with that, of course, was that although Lauren now knew, and Tamsin knew, and Mabel knew Lauren wanted a date, the person Lauren needed to convey her intentions to, didn't. Or, at least, Lauren didn't think Bo knew of her intentions? But perhaps she did?

_That wasn't the point._

The point was that Lauren needed to be bold again, she needed to just ask Bo out on a proper date. A real date.

_Romantic "date" intentions crystal and clear! No time like the present!_

Lauren glanced over at the beautiful brunette next to her who'd been concentrated on the road and the hairpin curves ahead for the last thirty minutes, and took a big gulp of air readying herself for her moment, but what came out of her mouth was: "Do you mind if I read? I really need to work through this before the end of the week."

_Yup, great work there, Lewis. Way to channel your inner Tamsin. _Lauren rolled her eyes at herself.

"Not at all," Bo said throwing Lauren a quick smile. "We'll be driving up and down mountains for the next two hours or so, and I'll need to focus on the road," Bo commented.

"Oh, do you need help navigating?"

"Nah, I'm fine, I've got trusty Ruby here," Bo patted her dashboard.

Lauren raised a brow amused. "You named your car?"

"I feel judged."

Lauren laughed. "Caught the tone, did ya?" Lauren smirked, then paused for dramatic effect glancing back down to her book and smiled. "I named mine too."

"Oh?" Bo's eyes lit up with a smile, and Lauren caught it out of the corner of her eyes.

"Christine," Lauren wiggled her brows dangerously and Bo laughed out loud.

"Oh, that's horribly funny!" Bo laughed.

"Just kidding. Blake, actually." Lauren grinned wide.

"Boy Blake or girl Blake?"

"Girl."

"Hot."

"I named my favorite bike too," Lauren confessed.

"Oh, that's just taking it to a whole other level of crazy."

Lauren laughed again and swatted Bo's shoulder playfully. "Ass," she grinned.

"True enough," Bo chuckled. "What did you name it?"

"Nope, not telling.." Lauren replied amused.

"I bet you named it after a book or a play or something..." Bo mused glancing over at Lauren. "I could see that..cute Lauren on her bike with the name of a tragic play.." Bo murmured with a grin on her face that betrayed how cute she thought the idea of a young Lauren was. "Ophelia?"

Lauren smiled wide astounded. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Lucky guess."

"I see I need to work on being more mysterious,"

"Nah," Bo looked up a twinkle in her eyes. "I like you just the way you are, Miss Lewis."

There was always such a genuineness about the words that Bo spoke that Lauren smile. With a happy, light feeling in her heart, and a smile she couldn't keep contained, Lauren said: "Alright, Miss Lucky Guess. We'll talk about this later, lemme get back to my reading..."

"Course,... I've been distracting you from work, huh?"

Lauren smiled sympathetically hearing the slight undertone of guilt in Bo's voice. "My mom would hug and kiss you for distracting me these last couple of days, Bo. Don't feel bad. I tend to overwork myself, forget to relax, forget to eat."

"Sounds like I should be distracting you more often," Bo offered with a warm smile.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that,.." Lauren grinned with a racing heart. Already way past playing it cool her reply was quick, eager, like a leaping filly.

"Deal, it's official, you read and I'll make sure you eat properly for the rest of the week."

"Standing dinner date?" Lauren raised a brow looking up from her book.

"Problem?" Bo asked raising a brow.

"No, not at all." Lauren was all smiles when her eyes shifted back to the pages she was reading. She didn't even have to ask Bo out on a date anymore.

**Ten minutes later **

_Okay._

_So._

_Lauren still needed to absolutely, most definitely ask Bo out on a date. Cause see, this thing with the standing date thing... it felt friendly. Way too friendly, as in friendly friend as in friends that kissed one another on the cheek and friends that would meet up for drinks and talk about potential love interests._

_And see Lauren couldn't stomach the thought of meeting up with Bo and talking about OTHER potential love interests._

_No, no! Lauren wanted to be the love interest that was being discussed. In a good, positive way. Like she wanted Bo to talk to her friends about her with a dreamy far off look! __Cause 'hello!' Did anyone notice the chemistry between them? It was off the chart with that Christine chat and then that mystery line Bo pulled out of her hat! Hah! _

_And that... couldn't happen if Lauren and Bo would land in the creepy 'friend zone', where truly you didn't want to be with a woman like Bo. With a woman as dreamy as Bo you wanted to be in the party zone, the getting hot and bothered zone, the yowza zone!_

Had Lauren had too much coffee this morning? Cause truly her brain was jumping left and right at this point.

_The big question was though, how was she going to ask Bo on said date? How was she going to phrase it? She couldn't very well blurt it out. Lauren had gone through enough embarrassing moments with Bo in the last couple of days to last her a lifetime. She needed to think of the wording, needed to time it right. Not right now while they were on their way to the Samaria Gorge and Lauren needed to get back to reading her book -or she'd never finish it-, and Bo was concentrating on getting her there through the difficult hairpin curves the road was dictating her to take. No, asking Bo out on a date needed to be in a relaxed atmosphere like over dinner or something. But, it needed to be soon though, very soon, like today soon, tonight soon, over dinner soon?_

_Oo, over dinner tonight! _

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**_January 1940 _**

_I was a late-bloomer. I did not come into my body or my sexuality until I was well into my seventeenth year. I had kissed before, but not much else. I had been awkward with my body until about a year previous: no real breasts to speak of, no feminine curves, that hour-glass figure everyone kept raving about, the one I had seen on my best friend, but to my mild dismay not myself; flat chested and straight lines all the way-, but that hadn't mattered. I had been a happy child, and I was a happy adolescent, free and light despite the climate I grew up in, the political unrest of war that was theartening in the background. I was well-liked had plenty of friends male and female. I had been kissed on different occassions by different boys, or men as they liked to presume they were, that first time being the night of my sweet sixteen party, but I had never been truly in love, or at least not in the way I had read about in the countless novels I had read. Being the romantic fool that I was I longed for that whirlwind romance, I was ready for it, wanted and craved it._

_In January of 1940 I was 17 and 7 months old. I had finally come into my own with all the curves to match. I was average height: 1,70m, slim, blue eyes, darkish brown hair, my mother's delicate jaw, neckline, and lips, and my father's nose. I had never considered myself pretty, but found myself at the receiving end of a lot of male attention at the pubs and clubs I, and my friends frequented to dance the night away. We were a generation that lived with abandon, with a passion for life and a passion to live aware of how precious it was. Life needed to be lived, and explored, most of all it needed to be felt so when that first opportunity came to feel connected to another body, to feel what it was like to be kissed and caressed, I took it._

_Paul, the boy that had made me swoon two years prior came back in my life as a young man. He'd spent two years at university pre-med, but had been called back to his hometown months prior as a soldier. When we kissed and explored against the wall of a deserted back alley it wasn't hollow or trashy. Despite where we were he was gentle, kind and I was willing, trusting. I was in the arms of a man who made me feel something, a man who I had danced with all night and who I knew cared about me. His smile made me smile, gave me butterflies._

_I clung to him, welcomed his touches, welcomed the human connection that was so fragile then and in his embrace decided I wanted more of him. I was ready for that next step, ready to live, ready to go where most of my friends, Rachel most prevalent in my mind, had been before. __I was overwhelmed by him; his strong arms, his green piercing eyes both strong and gentle. That night I let him lead me to his room, let him explore softly, but passionately. He was a kind lover, giving and caring, holding me, kissing and loving me, telling me __that he hadn't stopped thinking about me, cared about me. W__hen the next day came and he needed to leave to join his unit, I found myself saying goodbye to him with a heavy heart._

_I missed Paul in the weeks and months that followed, but more than anything, I missed my best friend. Rachel had been in England on and off over the years, and I had seen her a handful of times since my sweet sixteen. I missed her terribly. I missed the ease with which we talked and shared, our conversations, small and large and I missed her face; her beautiful face to brighten my day. I missed the thought of her I was realistic enough to admit. Ever since my sixteenth birthday party things had shifted between us. I had been so happy to see her that night, so delighted that I had wanted nothing else but to leave my own party and go to her home or mine just to catch up talking like we usually did, but Rachel kept calling me silly for even suggesting it. She insisted I have fun that night, not believing me that I would have had a better time just being alone with her, and kept pushing me onto the dance floor. _

_Eventually, I relented. I was sixteen; and had never been kissed. I felt my inexperience as a burden. I would glance over at Rachel, see her beautiful golden curls fall elegantly about her, hear her laugh recognize it, and was able to pick it out above the others as she danced across the dance floor with a grace many would have been in envy of. She was so mature -even back then-, so at ease, so relaxed and so popular that in a small way I envied her, and wanted to be just like her._

_When Paul kissed me I was flustered. It was quick, but kind and gentle at the same time. I was over the moon. He only had eyes for me and in that moment I was the girl I wanted to be; the girl dancing with and being kissed by a handsome and popular boy. When he kissed me softly again, I wanted it to last forever; dancing, twirling, kissing, finally feeling that I was old enough to move away from awkwardness. The only thing I hadn't anticipated, and what made my heart fell was Rachel's face. It was only a flash of a look I caught, but I knew her so well that I recognized it straight away: h__urt. _

_Hurt over a boy I kissed that she knew as well, that she perhaps fancied? Was she jealous of me? I didn't know, but that didn't stop me from wondering. I was desperate to fix whatever was wrong between us, but Rachel had a master poker face. She told me she was happy for me, yet her and I were never as light and carefree since, and I felt as if I had lost a part of myself. The thought of hurting her was so stifling it was hard to breathe. We still talked, wrote to one another. Rachel's friendship was a friendship I was determined to never neglect, never let fall to the wayside no matter how watered down it had gotten. I knew in my heart of hearts that our connection would rekindle._

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Lauren looked up from the pages of her book, and smiled lightly. She was starting to see small changes in the way the protagonist looked at Rachel, and smiled at herself remembering those first moments when she had started looking at girls, feeling her heart skip a beat when Lisa Williams, the most beautiful girl in Lauren's class sat down next to her. Or how she had kissed Lisa once, her first kiss, Lauren was bold then, right under the bleechers and on Lisa's wonderful mouth. Their romance had been shortlived, a good two weeks it lasted until they both realized they really had nothing in common except that they were both still looking for who they were in the world: Lauren an intelligent and talented lesbian want-to-be actress, Lisa, a bi-curious want-to-be accountant with no imagination to speak of.

Lauren had been in love. Head over heels in love like she had been with Nadia. She'd felt the butterflies, the not being able to eat and or sleep, the almost obsessive thinking about someone, but then when she had started dating Nadia she had never really felt that deeper connection, the one that said that she wanted a life with her, she wanted children with her. Lauren had been the strong one in that relationship, the one who listened and comforted, but Nadia didn't do that for her. There was no balance, no equal partnership in the relation,not even something as silly as providing a meal for Lauren and after a while Lauren stopped longing for that balance too.

Lauren tentatively wondered what it would be like to be in love with your best friend. To have your lover and your best friend be the same person. It had never happened to her. Lauren had friends, plenty of them actually, but she'd not had a best friend, not like Marie described in the book. The closest to a best friend that Lauren had, was Tamsin, and she had never harbored any romantic feelings for any of her friends-save maybe Evony, but then that tryst with the talent manager was better described with the terms 'epic fail'.

Then again. Lauren supposed it was never too late to meet your best friend.

Lauren glanced over at Bo. The stunning brunette was so focused on navigating the Jeep up and down the hairpin curves with steady hands shifting gears that Lauren could watch her without the brunette noticing. It gave Lauren time to wonder what the chances were of actually meeting your best friend and lover when you were already in your thirties, on a vacation you hadn't planned on taking in the first place. Say a vacation in Crete? And the soulmate/friend happens to be a gorgeous brunette? Lauren grinned wide at the thought.

"If you're peckish, I have some almond bars if you're peckish." Bo said breaking Lauren's concentration."You might need sustenance with that ferocious grip you've got that book in." Bo followed up with a smile. "They're in the glove compartment."

Lauren opened up the glove compartment, almond bars spilling out with how stuffed the compartment was.

"Are you worried there's going to be a food run on almond bars?"

"Jeez Lewis, don't joke about a thing like that!"

Lauren laughed at the use of her last name and took one of the almond bars out, tore the wrapping and broke off a piece for herself, and handed the other part to Bo. She laughed lightly at how eagerly Bo took the offered piece, and then sank her teeth into her own piece. Wow, these things were very tasty! Happily Lauren continued munching thinking that if she had a best friend and they'd be on a road trip together, this is how Lauren would want to be feeling.

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_**May 1940**_

_On May 10th Hitler invaded France, Belgium and the Netherlands all at once. Officially, most of the western world had been at war with Herr Hitler since 1939, but when none of the powers that be really moved against one another those first couple of days, weeks or months after the official declaration of war, people had started to relax, started believing this second world war would never evolve past the "Sitzkrieg or Phoney war" status it had obtained, and that it could be resolved diplomatically, not seeing it as the ticking time bomb it was. _

_Hitler had been waiting, biding his time, waiting for his generals to come up with a feasible plan to overtake western Europe, for his forces to disengage from Poland, to regroup, to rebuild, for his supply lines to be secured, and Europe...let it happen._

_When war finally did erupt in full force, it came in devastating swiftness and contrast. In the night of May 10, Germany moved for the low countries and France. The German tactic was Blitzkrieg: puncture and rip through the defensive line as quickly as possible using Germany's pantzer division and Luftwaffe as support. Expecting the German offensive along the Sambre and Meuse, two rivers in Belgium, where Germany had tried to push through to France in the first World War, the allied forces had dug themselves in there. The Germans, however, attacked through the Ardennes thereby flanking the French and English forces, catching them unawares. Compounding on this allied blunder were the streams and streams of panicked civilians, some two million refugees who slowed down the movements of the troops considerably, preventing them from regrouping.  
_

_From there it went from bad to worse: Young German tank drivers had been given a drug called Perripitin by their commanding officers. High on the drug the drivers stormed their tanks through France in a couple of days, cutting open France's defensive lines like a tin can. The French government fled on June 10th, the Germans took Paris on June 14th. What allied experts had expected to take months took only weeks.  
_

_What if France had moved on Germany from the beginning? If it had attacked Germany's Westwall when much of Hitler's troops had still been engaged in Poland? What if the allied forces hadn't only taken in defensive positions? What if they hadn't given Hitler time to gather his troops, to rebuild? What if the French army had listened to reports of the Germans attacking via the Ardennes? What if...?_

_War is fickle. History is fickle. _

_The what ifs plague me. I am part of a lost generation. When I ask myself these question, I do not ask them from a theoretical point of view. I ask them because they were my friends who died, my family, my people.  
_

_If the allies had made different choices then perhaps the second world war would have again become a trench war, and not one of occupation. Perhaps then Rachel would still be alive. There still would have been casualties, but perhaps we would have been spared of Nazi ideology, of the debasement of human life. Perhaps we would have been spared of seeing the worst that man could wreak upon man._

_World war II__ took over 72 million lives. It tore families apart, it stripped children of their youth and often their parents, it tore at the fabric of every soul and every country. _

_72 million. _

_Can you imagine that? Can anyone?_

_The figure is too high to fathom, my intellect too small to understand even after years of trying to compartmentalize, but seeing those you love die in war is still reality for too many. _

_When my family was confronted with another war, they wanted to make sure their children were alright._

_So, we fled._

_It was the week before my eighteenth birthday when my father woke me up in the middle of the night. He told me to get dressed, and pack some things. His tone was brief, curt and I knew not to argue or ask questions. I packed quickly, a nervous excitement taking hold of me while I did. I had been awake for most of the night, hadn't slept well the entire week. My father was a man with many connections, right up to the highest political and military levels. I knew him well enough to know when he was worried, I knew the acquaintances of my father well enough to know that they would keep him upraised of what was happening. The tension in our house had been palpable all week; every ring of our house phone made my father's shoulders tense and it hadn't been difficult to figure out why he was so tense. Tonight was the night all of our lives would change. _

_When I came downstairs my mother was filling boxes with tinned food, fruit and bottles of water. She was helped by our maid while my cousin Maxime sat by the kitchen table, a glass of milk in front of him, his otherwise wide, blue big eyes only half open while he clung to the stuffed rabbit he always carried with him and a small blanket he slept in. Maxime was five, still small for his age, he couldn't pronounce his name correctly yet, sounding it out as either Maxmix or sometimes Mixa. My aunt, my mother's sister Vivian, came down the stairs joining us in the kitchen. She was carrying a pile of blankets and put them on the table next to Maxime. She kissed her son softly atop his blonde head of hair and told him to drink his milk. Maxime complied and I smiled seeing a milk moustache adorn his face when he pulled back from drinking his glass. _

_"Marie, help me carry this," my mother said standing over one of the crates she had filled up. I snapped out of staring at Maxime and Vivian, and did as I was told. _

_We told Maxime we were going on a trip when we were finally all loaded up and bundled in two cars. Maxime just nodded and cuddled into me on the backseat. I smiled pressing him to me. In the dead of the night __my mother, myself, Maxime, my grandparents, two maids and the butler made our way towards France. From Dieppe we'd sail to London, and find refuge there. _

_My father stayed behind; he was a business man, an industrialist who had spent the better part of his life providing work for hundreds of people at his factory. He felt he couldn't leave his workers behind. I remember the warmth and concern in his eyes as he said goodbye to us. He was torn, I could feel that. I'd seen him hand my mother two of his hunting rifles: he knew she was a better shot than he was, he knew she had as many contacts in the Resistance from the First World War as he did, but still I noted the hesitancy when he said goodbye to her. My father told me to take care of Maxime, to take care of one another, and that he'd be seeing us soon enough. We all clammered into the cars; my mother, Maxime, Richard our butler behind the wheel and myself while the other car filled up with the rest of our party including my aunt whose husband Etienne was being mobilized at that very moment. Because of the early warning my father had gotten, we had a few hours head start on the millions of other refugees that would follow us in the coming hours. _

_We drove through the night, and made it as far as the border the next day.__ There was no border control like there had been only a year prior when we'd gone on vacation. Instead there was just the sign that read "France", an abandoned outpost. A couple of hours later __and the roads were flooded with hundreds of others, desperate just like us to get to safety. I remember being almost glued to the car window looking at throngs of people moving, some by horse and carriage, a lot of them by bicycle, most of them by foot. We knew we needed to get away from the crowds, we needed to get away from the main roads, but in that moment we couldn't go anywhere. __We were trying to drive through the center of Lille, and we were surrounded, we were __crowded, down to a snail's pace navigating through a sea of people. People raised their pitchforks at us, pushed the car, hit it, tried to smash in our windows. My mother yelled at me to lock my door, and Maxime pressed against me. A window shattered, and in the back I could hear the engines of planes roaring. A hand groped at me and Maxime cried out. The car horn blared and we sped up, and the hand loosened its grip._

_The next day was a cold one in May and I found Rachel occupying my thoughts as we continued on. I wondered where she was if she perhaps too was fleeing; if maybe I would see her in Dieppe; if maybe she was already in England. Thoughts of her kept assailing me, overwhelming me, I'd have flashbacks of laughing with her, of holding her hand, of that night she showed up at my birthday. I kept thinking about how beautiful she had looked, how graceful she had danced, how she had smiled at me. I missed her so much it made my heart clench at the bitter thought I would never get to see her again in the middle of this thing I was too young to comprehend. It had been months since the war had officially started; months since I had seen her; from one day to the next her and her sister Ava had just stayed away from school. After their disappearance, there were rumors at school of German work camps and Jews being sent there. Rachel and Ava were only partly Jewish. I believe their grandfather was on Rachel's mother's side, but then I had heard from Paul that that didn't matter. Full Jew, half Jew, quarter Jew, rumored to be Jew. It was all the same to the __Germans. I could only hope that they were safe, that they had already reached England. _

_The most lethal and destructive bombs would fall in the closing months of the war when Hitler launched his V1 and V2 bombs leaving much of Northern Europe in ruin, but in the onset of war, it were the German planes soaring above, dropping smaller bombs that would terrify us. __We would hear them coming from a far, w__e'd pull off of the road, park the cars ___somewhere under a tree so that the planes couldn't see us, couldn't mistake us for a military convoy. We'd get out of the car, hide in a ditch somewhere or something else that gave us a little shelter. Max would run to his mother, and while we waited with bated breath, I would hear my aunt whispering reassuring words into Max' ears as he trembled like a leaf. ____We'd stay there until the planes had passed. My mother taught me to distinguish between German, French and English planes, but when we'd then hear the sound of bombs falling, the sound of terror echoing in the distance, we didn't need to spot the planes to know who they belonged to.__

__We knew cities were being bombed, we knew it was risky to travel to Dieppe, we knew the Germans were targeting the port towns, we knew there was only a slim chance that they hadn't gotten to where we needed to be, but we tried anyway. We'd gotten lucky so far, we hadn't encountered any German soldiers, we'd seen troop movements only in the distance as we stayed to the smaller country roads. __

__We paid for gasoline and food with jewelry my mother had taken from home, and with one of the hunting rifles my father had given my mother for our protection. ___A trip that would, in modern days, take a good four hours, took us four days. On that fourth day, we were at the outskirts of Dieppe. We couldn't avoid the crowds any longer. Here were other people who'd gotten the exact same idea; to escape to England via the sea. People like us with cars, but also those on foot, bicycle and carriage. Before we had left our home, I'd never seen so many people together. We were all so different, yet we all wore the same expression on our face, and we all wanted one thing: safety. ___  
__

_There's a bridge you have to cross before you enter Dieppe. It runs over the river Scie and in May of 1940 it was the perfect bottle neck. I still remember the sound of the engines roaring, approaching. I was late to hear them; there were cars blaring, using their horns in a futile attempt to get things moving, drowning out that otherwise to typical, terrifying noise. The world halted in that moment. I yelled, and threw open my door, I grabbed Max, dragged him out of the car, carried him while I ran. Car doors were being thrown open left and right. Everyone was running, gathering their children, their parents. I ran, just ran blindly. I saw the gravel under my feet, the white socks I was wearing, the black shoes, then the green grass. I heard the engines grow louder, as if they were flying right above us, as if they had dropped down as low as they could, but I didn't dare look up. I heard screaming, raised voices and fear but all of it was muffled, it was a cacophony of sound, a jumble of things where all I thought about was to take shelter, all I felt was the sound of my own heart beating erratically out of fear and effort. _

_I threw myself and Max into the ditch by the side of the road. I landed on my shoulder hard as the world above me exploded so loudly my ears felt like they were exploding themselves. My hands and arms wrapped protectively around Max as we were pelted with small debris. I felt it cut open my face, my upper arms, my hands. Max stiffened in my embrace. For a few moments I couldn't hear anything, the ringing in my ear made me deaf to other sounds. As soon as sound came back to me, __I climbed out of the ditch on__ hands and knees, telling Max to stay put. I wanted to go check on my mother, on Max' mother, my grandparents. The road we had just abandoned our car in was a cloak of dust, so thick still that when I inhaled I coughed. The thick, unnaturally warm screen only hung for seconds until it cleared. I could feel blood trickle down from the top of my head over my face, but I didn't pay it any mind. All I saw was our car, or what was left of it. Along with four other cars it was burning, smoldering, flames dancing around an already burnt out carcass._

_I started shouting, calling out for my mother, calling out for anyone I knew. Then I heard the one sound, I didn't want to hear, but one I couldn't possibly deny. _

_The plane was back._

_ For one awful second I stood frozen to the ground, unable to move. The Messerschmidt flew down low, dove right to my position. I only turned a quarter way, and could see it coming at me head on. Then I heard a different sound, a staccato rhythm like I was used to hearing from Rachel's metronome, and for a split of a second I didn't know what it was, and then in one awful realization I knew I was going to die. R__unning away was pointless.__ I closed my eyes. The last thought I had was of Rachel._

_The engine roared louder than ever before, the bullets flew left and right to me, I could feel the air displacement of the plane flying so low, of the small objects flying about me. Terrifying seconds I made peace with death, but when I opened my eyes I was still there. _

_My entire body shook, involuntarily. My vision blurred, I couldn't see through my tears. I wanted to fall on my knees, and bawl but instead I wiped at my tears. I could hear people screaming, crying and some shouting at me. That's when I realized that the plane was coming back again. This time, I didn't hesitate, I jumped back into the ditch next to Max and grabbed him to hold on tight. _

_The machine gun sounded again, and I clung to Max telling him to close his eyes, that'd be over soon. This time I heard the sound of bullets finding target; a sharp, high-pitched noise, crisp and short. _

_All of this, the attack on the bridge into Dieppe, must have taken no longer than a few minutes. We were a target on a pilot's radar, once he'd dropped a bomb and then flown over twice, he was content with the amount of death and destruction he'd left behind and flew away, yet after all these years, I can still remember everything in vivid detail. _

_I righted my head again, my grip on Max loosened when after a few minutes the plane sounded further and further away. I turned over to my left, and recoiled in horror when I saw the body of a dead woman laying next to me. She was my mother's age, my mother's built I realized in under a second flat, and my heart hammered in my chest._

_"Max, en avant," I urged, my eyes still on the dead woman next to me, blindly. "We need to find your mother," Max didn't reply, and I turned around again. _

_"Max?" I said, my voice soft. Maxime lay on his side, like I'd told him to do, like his mother had told him to do so many countless times before, to make himself as small a target as possible, clinging to his stuffed rabbit like he always did. _

_Max didn't respond, and I wondered if maybe he just couldn't hear me. If maybe the explosion had left him deaf...I wasn't ready to even conceive of the alternative. I leaned over him, and shook him. "Max," I urged again. A chill unlike any other I had ever felt wrapped itself around my heart and squeezed tight. My hand reached over to his shoulder and I turned him on his back. _

_Max' blonde hair was matted in blood as was the bunny he had been clinging to. His light blue, young and innocent eyes stared up at me lifeless. _

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After about an hour of driving Bo snuck glances at the blonde next to her as she guided the pair through hairpin curves in steep inclines, through magnificent views and perilous clifs and gorges. How Lauren could even read, stay focused on the pages through all that, Bo couldn't quite grasp, but how Lauren could forget to eat when she was working was becoming quite apparent to Bo. Bo was quickly learning that Lauren was unlike anyone she'd ever met, and that thought made her smile. It was about fifteen minutes later when Bo veered from the road, and parked the Jeep just opposite a sign that read "VIEWPOINT".

"Lauren,..." Bo prompted a first time without success, because the blonde next to her was still reading, glued to the page and Bo smiled gently. When Bo squeezed Lauren's knee softly, the blonde responded.

"Bo?" Lauren asked her glancing over at Bo's hand on her knee, the one that was giving her goosebumps, then upwards at her surroundings. "We've stopped?"

"Can you spare a minute or two?" Bo asked with a beaming smile.

"Course," Lauren replied closing her book, and looking at Bo.

"Come on, there's something I want to show you," Bo said opening her door.

Lauren opened the door on her end and slid out of the Jeep. The pair were next to a cliff face, looking to the side and upwards Lauren noticed a winding staircase cut out in the stone of the cliff. Bo lead them and quickly climbed the steep incline of the steps. Lauren was only a few steps behind, and when she reached the final step and what Bo had wanted to show her came into view, Lauren's breath hitched. As far as the eye could see, Lauren saw rolling valleys of luscious green and dramatic cliffs. The blonde stood awestruck taking in the view. Everywhere you looked in Crete was beautiful and impressive, be it beautiful beaches, clear blue skies or the magnificent coastline, but this view was breathtaking, it humbled you. This view gave you a sense of vastness, of eternity, of solitude and being connected at the same time. While staring, Lauren heard Bo say how they were in the middle of the wine valley in Crete, how some of the best wines in Crete came from this place because of the unique soil properties and the exact right amount of shade and sunlight the plants received. Lauren glanced over at Bo, and she was suddenly overwhelmed, tears brimming in her eyes. Lauren tried to blink them away, but Bo caught on.

"Lauren, are you okay?" Bo asked with the softest of voices.

"Yes," Lauren nodded, but a tear escaped. "It's just this place, it's so beautiful. My god Bo, we are so lucky," Lauren exhaled, another tear rolling over her cheek unbidden. Lauren wiped again catching Bo's somewhat puzzled expression. "It's the book,.." Lauren confessed trying to regain her composure. "Gods Bo, to be here, to be able to see this, to be able to just enjoy it because we get to do mundane things such as travel, spend money, worry about where to go the next day when other people..." Lauren closed her eyes again trying not to think of the young boy with the blonde hair and the light eyes, trying not to think about how it felt when in mere seconds, a life could change, and innocence could be lost.

Lauren's body shivered when Bo's arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. Her breath hitched when Bo kissed her temple softly. "That's why we need to love the now," Bo whispered, and cupped Lauren's cheek, guiding Lauren's eyes to meet hers. "Appreciate this view, appreciate what we have." Lauren let Bo's words fall over her, and searched Bo's eyes finding kindness and compassion there, and perhaps something else as well. Lauren thought perhaps those words Bo had spoken had a deeper meaning, hoped that they did. In that moment, Lauren wanted nothing more but to lock lips with Bo and appreciate what they had, live life, make sure it counted...

**"OH MY GOD ROGER! LOOK HOW STUNNING THIS IS! TAKE A PICTURE!"**A large woman yelled and bumped into Bo and Lauren trying to get past them. The bump broke the pair from their mutual staring and the moment was lost.

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"Lauren be save, okay? There are park rangers along the way, and four stops. Drink regularly and call me if and when you get into trouble? I'll come get you wherever and whenever needed."Lauren looked up at Bo and saw concern and care there. With a smile Lauren replied.

"You know you can only either walk down the gorge or reach the beach by boat right?"

"I'll rent a helicopter or ride one of those park mules if that's what I need to do to get to you."

Lauren grinned wide at that reply. "I've got more than enough water, my phone is charged and I promise to be careful. Though if any of the park rangers happens to be a fine looking woman I might want to fake a sprained ankle."

Bo laughed out loud. "Deal, now go!"

"Yes, ma'am."

As Lauren exited the vehicle Bo shook her head grinning and turned the Jeep around to head back towards Iraklion.

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As Lauren descended the Samarian gorge she found herself wanting to point out the beautiful things she saw to Bo. She took pictures instead in the hopes she'd get to share those with Bo later on. On her trip down Lauren spotted some of the Krikri, and snapped another round of pics. The last stretch of the gorge was the most impressive and the most beautiful: the river that had cut its way through the rugged terrain of the cliffs was now down to just a small stream that you could easily wade through while the tall walls of the cliffs loomed up on either side of you in the narrow passing. It truly was a breathtaking sight. Lauren had made good time on the descent and when she reached the beach down below she had almost two hours left before her boat to Sougia would arrive. Lauren settled herself in a chair at one of the beach bars there and ordered a sparkling water. Before going for her book again, Lauren typed out a quick message to Bo that she'd reached the beach safely and then couldn't suppress the urge to scroll through all of the pics she'd taken in the last couple of days. She noticed that on her first day in Greece she'd already snapped a few pics of Bo, the second day there were more. On day three the pics were mostly selfies of the pair of them making goofy faces and smiling, pointing at things they'd been discovering. Lauren liked those selfies best.

When the waiter brought over Lauren's sparkling water, the blonde reached for her book again and started reading. Two hours passed quickly. Lauren's friends had been raving about the book to her for months, but with Lauren's busy schedule she hardly had time to sit down and read the paper, never mind read a book, and so her interest in it had fallen to the wayside a bit. Now that she was reading it she understood what her friends were raving about.

Chapter by chapter this story compelled you to read, sucked you in, laid the characters bare and exposed, beautiful in their raw nakedness. The reconstruction of this love story was a carefully crafted yet seemingly deceptive way of going about a story: with snippets of memories both funny, warm, smart and heartbreaking at the same time, it reminded Lauren of the way French cinema and literature would tell a story like Jean-Pierre Jeunet did in 'Un long dimanche de fiançailles', but still it was far from a copy, more an evolution of that as it had more than enough emotional depth, reach and sincerity to stand on its own merits firmly. The dialogues were crisp, witty, and at times sharp as a lashing whip reminding her of dialogues of the quality of Jane Austen and Lauren decided that as part of her research she would like to meet the writer. She flipped the book, and quickly read the bio of the author. The name didn't ring a bell,..Lauren's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a horn. Lauren's head shot up and she quickly loaded in her backpack. The boat to Sougia was there to pick her up.

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**Sougia**

When Lauren got off the boat, Bo was at the side of the dock waiting for her with a brilliant smile that flashed her dimples. Instead of her usual black outfit Bo was wearing a pair of short white shorts and a dark green airy blouse with no sleeves that fell gracefully about her.

_Did Bo really need to look sexy in everything she wore? _

_Really universe? _

_Really? _

"Lauren?"

"Oh..." Lauren said closing her eyes, a small shake of her head at herself. This time Bo had caught onto Lauren's staring. Feeling a bit exposed and embarrassed, Lauren's hands diappeared in her pockets and she mumbled out.

"Sorry...you in something else besides black...it's uhm...something...uh...else."

It was one of Lauren's talents to observe, to understand what people were saying beyond the words that they spoke. It was a natural tendency, something she had done as a child. It was how Lauren had first discovered Billy Ryan's interest in her in high school; he had always been so nervous around her unable to speak to her without looking away. It was something she had gotten only better at as an adult and doing what she did for a living. So when Bo chuckled and her face drew away for only a microsecond in something Lauren would label a blush, Lauren noticed. As quickly as that flash of something else came, however, it was gone too. When Bo looked up at Lauren again, her features were again pretty much unreadable.

"Thank you," Bo smiled. How was the gorge?"

"Beautiful," Lauren said with a satisfied smirk. "The last part is absolutely stunning."

"The iron gate," Bo said nodding.

"I saw the Krikri," Lauren said excited and Bo smiled. "They're so cute."

"Give them something to eat and they follow you for miles."

"Really?" Lauren asked sounding as if she'd missed an opportunity there.

Bo chuckled at Lauren's tone. "Yes, but you're not allowed to feed them, so it's a good thing you didn't. My best friend Kenzi wanted to take one back with her to the States until I explained that they were a protected species. She now has an Alpaca in her backyard of downtown Los Angeles."

Lauren laughed out loud. "You're kidding."

"Nope, she rides it and uses it for the wool...She's a fashion designer," Bo offered when Lauren scrunched her brows.

"Your friends sound as wonderfully strange as mine."

Bo nodded. "Kenz is something else."

The pair walked through the narrow little streets filled with small stores selling the whole range of beach attire, fridge magnets from Crete, and ice cream, and continued talking about their day: Lauren showed some of the pictures she'd taken and how beautiful the walk had been, while Bo had filled Lauren in on the family of four she'd picked up from the airport: three generations of women: grandmother, mom, and two daughters. Bo talked about them with warmth, how nice their drive had been, how she had loved the interaction between the generations. As they walked further they bought ice creams: Bo chose two scoops, one stracciatella, one mokka, while Lauren went for chocolate and vanilla and restaurants loomed up from the cliffside offering up splendid views. The pair sat down on a bench on their stroll, admiring the view, licking their ice cream, enjoying the sun and each other's company and talking animatedly.

As they sat there talking about everything and nothing, a curious thought sprung up in Lauren's mind. She realized suddenly that although Bo would speak at length about her hobbies, her friends and her passions, she never spoke about her family, and it seemed uncharacteristic for a person like Bo who was so warm and caring, not to talk about her family. To Lauren, family meant everything, and she assumed that for a people's person like Bo that would have to be the same. Yet, Lauren would never dream of pushing the issue, so instead of asking Bo about her family, Lauren simply offered up stories of her own.

Lauren's mom and sis were such characters that she always had good anecdotes about them. Talking about her family was a natural go to for Lauren, especially when she had a good rapport with the person she was talking to, and it was easy for Lauren to keep the habit up because the stories Lauren told Bo had the brunette in stitches. Bo had just pulled out of a laughing fit that had her almost losing the icecream on her cone on a Tamsin story when the brunette all of a sudden stilled. When Lauren glanced over at the beautiful brunette next to her, Bo had a puzzled expression on her face.

"Oh my gosh," Bo grinned. "Your sis went to Stanford, didn't she?"

Lauren frowned lightly at the odd question. "Yeah,"

"And Lewis. That's your real name, isn't it? Bo asked, the question asked more a realization than a question, like she just needed the information confirmed. "You don't have a stage name."

"Uh no, I use my real name," Lauren replied again, now properly confused.

Bo's smile was wide, grinning. "I totally know your sis!"

"Wha-what do you mean?" Lauren asked and for one brief second entertained the horrible thought that Bo was one of Tamsin's exes. Was this Lauren's lot in life, to run into Tamsin's exes?!

"Tamsin Lewis, Slamsin Lewis!" Bo laughed out delighted.

"Oh my God, you do know her! She totally hates that name!" Lauren laughed out loud.

"Tamtam and I were roommates for two years, best buddies!"

"What?" Lauren exclaimed and then it was her turn to be completely surprised as she connected the dots. "Wait, you are _**that** _Bo?! McBoobster?" Lauren asked remembering the nickname Tamsin had for college roommate Bo.

Bo laughed out loud, stuck out the girls and then wiggled her brows." I see you've heard of me and mine."

"Oh my!" Lauren laughed out delighted. "I used to hear wild stories about you!" _And none of them about shennanigans with my sister!_ Lauren happily added in her thoughts.

"Why didn't I put that together sooner?" Bo wondered aloud. "I knew Tammy had a sis called Lauren, I even knew you acted! Although, in my defense, I think you were still working as a barrista then?"

"At the Gielgud theatre," Lauren nodded and grinned. "Worked all through college there, got my first role there," Lauren contemplated with a smile.

The Gielgud in London! Tammy was so proud of you getting a scholarship to study in London! She always used to tell me how intelligent you were, funny, pretty, how you'd make it big. I'm glad to see she was right," Bo paused and smiled over at Lauren, a soft genuine smile. "On all accounts."

Lauren smiled widely and happily, butterflies swerving violently. In that moment she had never loved Tamsin and her big mouth more.

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Lauren and Bo had talked all the time from their walk in the afternoon to their dinner at night. They had, of course talked about Tamsin for a bit and how they were connected now through her. Bo asked how Tamsin was doing, what she was doing and they gossiped a bit about the people they both knew. When the pair had sat down at a table in Elena's tavern, however, the topic had already shifted again to light, casual, free flowing banter. Elena's tavern was a restaurant like many others in Crete: overlooking the beach, plenty of rustic charm, stunning views and worn sea blue chairs and tables that made it feel like it was somehow placed out of time, but Bo knew this place, knew the owners well, and the food Bo told Lauren was excellent.

Their table was a small one to the left, it was so packed with people there that they couldn't sit opposite one another simply because there wasn't any room. Instead they sat oddly cramped, Lauren overlooking the ocean and Bo to the side of her. All through dinner Lauren was acutely aware that underneath the table, their legs and knees would touch. Although the restaurant was noisy, the mood, atmosphere and music picking up as light faded into night, the sensation of that touch drowned all of Lauren's other senses.

"You have an-.." Bo started saying, but then she saw Lauren's brows furrow and instead Bo reached out with her hand, carefully and sweetly brushing away an eyelash at the corner of Lauren's eye. The gesture was sweet, intimate even and when Bo's eyes lingered on Lauren's lips. Lauren noticed, her heart thumped.

Bo's eyes pulled away. "That's better," Bo said looking at the eyelash on her finger and then looked up at Lauren. "Blow on it? For good luck," Bo explained, and Lauren's heart fluttered at the way Bo's big eyes were looking at her, the way she smiled at her, because all of a sudden this was intimate and Lauren knew this was her moment. All romantic movies had a moment and this was hers; the perfect opportunity. Lauren would blow on the eyelash, and then Bo would ask the standard 'what did you wish for?' and Lauren would answer, "That you'd go on a date with me", and then maybe she'd be so bold as to cup Bo's cheek and then kiss her! Hah! Perfect! Cause yeah, Lauren wanted Bo and Lauren's first kiss to be perfect.

No, really, she craved it, wanted it.

Lauren to the depths of her being was a hopeless romantic, and she was an actress for goodness sakes, she knew about romantic moments, and this would be it. All that dreaming and longing for the perfect first kiss since Lauren had been fourteen, and then having to act them out in her pretend life, but never in her real life. All of that was coming to a head now!

"McCorrigan!" A male voice exclaimed right when Lauren was about to set her grand scheme in motion. Bo's head shot up, and a wide smile broke out on her face. Quick as a beat Bo was up on her feet and a tall, broad-shouldered, handsome, darker blonde man pulled Bo into his arms.

"Costas!" Bo exclaimed as the blonde man pulled the woman Lauren was planning to kiss into a hug and then a twirl.

_Wait? Wha? Who was this and why was he twirling Bo? _Lauren thought as the scene of the pair hugging and twirling seemed to play out in front of Lauren's eyes in slow motion, like in a romantic movie where the couple finally meet again and they're all smiles and happiness, but this wasn't that, because in Lauren's version of the romantic movie, Lauren would be the one twirling Bo. Nope, this wasn't a romantic movie, this was more like a horror movie!

"What a sight for sore eyes you are!" The romantic male lead muttered as he FINALLY pulled back out of Bo's embrace. "How bout a dance?"

_How about a dance? That's MY line! I was supposed to be dancing with Bo! __This Costas guy sure moves fast, _Lauren thought._ And without even acknowledging the fact that Bo was having dinner, an INTIMATE dinner no less, with someone else! Yes, LAUREN! _

_RUDE! _Lauren crossed her arms.

Bo left out a short boisterous laugh. "How about you have some manners and say hello to your parents first."

_Yeah, blondie! Get to steppin'! _Lauren uncrossed her arms and grinned a little. _I have a woman to woo!_

"My parents taught me never to waste a good night, good music and a beautiful woman," the man said, his light eyes alive with mirth and mischief.

_Really? Was Bo falling for this?_

_No seriously? _

_Did Bo like lines like that? Cause Lauren could come up with cheesy lines like that too if that's what Bo liked!_

"Well, my parents taught me never to waste my time on men with horrible pick-up lines." Bo laughed putting her hands in her hips.

"Hah!" Lauren snorted cause gosh she thought Bo was witty, but Oops! too, cause she didn't mean to snort aloud. Lauren grabbed her glass hiding her reddening cheeks, but the sound had drawn Bo's attention back to the woman she was having dinner with.

The brunette turned towards Lauren, pulling the blonde man along with her in a half hug. "Lauren, this obnoxious flirt is Dyson Costas," Bo said with a great deal of amusement in her voice. "My friend and boss. Dyson, this is the talented and lovely Lauren Lewis."

_Oh, so that was Dyson, Bo's boss..and friend, just a friend. That's good, just a friend who is friendly, very friendly with Bo, but just a friend according to Bo. She didn't call him her boyfriend! Hah! _Still, this Dyson Costas boss, creep needed to be watched regardless, Lauren thought cause Lauren surely had never been this friendly towards her boss...

"Miss Lewis," Lauren had gotten up and Dyson grinned as he reached for the hand Lauren was extending him. Instead of shaking it, he kissed the back of it.

_Ah, so he's the type who flirts with everyone. So b__arking up the wrong tree here, mister!_ Lauren thought cause yeah Lauren was as gay as they came, she was a gold star lesbian, she'd never liked icky boys! Lauren did her best to smile, and sound amicable towards the man returning his greeting._ Oscar winning performance indeed!_

"Welcome to the island," Dyson said jovially as he sat down on the third chair of their table. "I trust Bo here has been keeping you entertained showing off this beautiful island."

Lauren smirked and glanced at Bo, before her eyes shifted back to Dyson. "She sure has, she's the best," Lauren said with a confident smile. "I might have to steal her from you, and take her home with me," Lauren stated loving the fact that her line elicited a chuckle from both Bo and Dyson, and that she had said what she wanted to say to Dyson as well. _As in, back off, she's mine! _Yup, if Lauren had been a dude, she would have been squeezing Dyson's hand to a pulp_. _Alas, Lauren's upper body strength in general was pretty lame._  
_

"Dyson!" a low loud voice made three heads snap round. Dyson's smile was widest, and he was already back up on his feet when an elderly woman with pristinely coifed white hair moved in his direction with arms wide open. There was a wide smile on the older woman's lips and her light eyes mirrored Dyson's in color and sparkle.

"Mommah!" Dyson exclaimed and the woman laughed loudly as Dyson picked up his mother with ease and twirled her round.

_Mommah's boy and likes to twirl,_ Lauren's brain catalogued.

"Silly boy!" Mommah Costas kissed her son on the cheeks loudly. "It's about time you came and saw your parents! Where have you been?"

"Mommah, not you too!" Dyson exclaimed glancing over at Bo with a smirk.

Dyson's mother followed her son's gaze and her eyes lit up at the sight of Bo. The older woman's arms opened again, and Bo rose next to Lauren to move into them with a loving smile on her lips.

Bo, darling! It is good to see you. I sleep better when you're on the island keeping that one out of trouble," Dyson's mother said shooting a half glare at her son, before returning her focus on Bo. "And who is this gorgeous young woman you are having dinner with, Bo?"

Bo blushed before she spoke again. "This is Lauren Lewis. Lauren, this great lady is Dyson's mom, Christina Costas," Bo said with affection in her voice.

"Nice to meet you, Lauren." Christina Costas said in polished English. When Lauren stood up to shake Christina's hand, Christina shook her head. "Oh no, no, a handshake won't do.. If Bo brought you here, that means she considers you family, and Bo's family, is our family." Christina smiled, and then pulled Lauren into her arms for a hug.

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About an hour later, Lauren, Bo, Dyson and Dyson's parents had had dinner together, and were enjoying their Ouzo laughing and chatting. Lauren was on a slight high. Sure, the Dollar Store version of Chris Martin had spoiled Lauren and Bo's moment, but Bo had called Lauren lovely, Christina had called Lauren gorgeous and even more importantly, she had called Lauren 'family', and from that Lauren deduced that Bo bringing Lauren here, introducing her to Christina and Davros was a big deal.

Lauren also loved being here: Christina and Davros were lovely people, warm and open, her kind of people. Even Dyson was nice, she had to admit. He was jovial, like his parents were, talked animatedly, he was funny, quick-witted, good company, a good conversationalist and handsome if you liked that slick sort of eighties dude that wore Hawaiian shirts unbuttoned showing off their chest pecks kind of thing. Which Lauren -for the record- didn't, but hey she had eyes and what not. Lauren supposed many women found Dyson attractive with his sun kissed skin, his rugged good looks, and charming smile, his...you know...whatever..

Dyson was a nice guy, he'd even asked Lauren to a party he was having at his house the next evening. Lauren immediately said yes because she knew Bo would be there too, but still the man irked her. He irked her, because as the night wore on, he kept flirting with Bo.

His flirting wasn't overt or anything, not over the top, but clear enough to get the message across. And clear enough to make Lauren wonder if she could actually file for a sexual harassment suit in the workplace in someone else's name. Cause hello! All the winks and the touches that lingered, the laughs that were louder than necesarry, the occasional flirty remarks. All subtle hints and clues that Lauren and Dyson would eventually have to duke it out for Bo's affection, that it would come to a bit of fisticuffs. Lauren could see herself winning their fight in like the second round with a KO. Despite her lame upper body strength, Lauren knew she was wily, and she'd seen a lot of Bruce Lee movies. So, obviously, she had an advantage there.

Okay, okay, Lauren knew she was acting petulant and childish, but seriously, blondie had ruined Lauren's perfectly constructed plans. _Not cool! _Lauren took a deep breath. Deep down Lauren knew this situation was one of her own making. If she'd had the guts to ask Bo on a date that morning in the car, maybe Bo would have been telling Dyson to take a hike, or maybe by now Lauren would be in the throes of passion with Bo.

Yup, Lauren really needed to step up. Cause thinking about Bo and her naked in bed together was getting Lauren all hot and flustered. Actually, it really was making Lauren all hot and flustered, and Lauren could feel herself redden in the face so she excused herself from the table for a moment and headed over to the bathroom. Lauren quickly used the facilities and then went to wash her hands and sprinkle some water in her face to cool down. After Lauren dried her hands, she wanted to check her phone to see if her mom or her sis had sent her a text or if they had called, but then realized she didn't have her phone on her. She had left it on the table, she remembered and Lauren looked back up in the mirror. Looking at herself she leaned in.

"You can do this," she said to her reflection. "Go get that woman! Be brave!" Lauren said and made a balled fist to somehow infuse a little more confidence into the statement she was making.

When Lauren left the restroom, she was surprised to see Bo standing only a few meters away from her. The brunette didn't notice her, she was talking on the phone, one hand on her hip, a wide dimpled smile on her cheeks, replying to questions it seemed. _Gosh, she's gorgeous_ Lauren thought as Bo swayed her hips a little and the evening lights cast a beautiful mix of shadow and light on an already stunning woman. This was her moment Lauren thought again, she could do it now, just as soon as Bo was off the phone, Lauren could reach for Bo's hands and they could start dancing to the music that was still playing in the background.

_YOLO! And all that!_

But then Lauren's brows suddenly frowned in confusion. That looked like Lauren's phone Bo was holding.

Bo? Lauren asked to which the brunette turned, and said with a wide grin: "She's right here, Mrs L," and handed Lauren her phone.

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"Mom?" Lauren asked confused in the phone.

"Oh hi, honey! I just wanted to check in with you real quick , befo-"

"Mom," Lauren interrupted half horrified, half confused at the fact that she'd just seen Bo have a minutes long conversation with her mother. She knew what Mabel Lewis was like, she instantly remembered how her mom in the past had interrogated her first girlfriend to the point of embarrassment. She was loathed to think Mabel had been doing that to Bo. "What were you talking to Bo about?"

"Oh Bo, yes. She tells me she knew Tamsin from college. How's that for Kismet! I think it's meant to be! And not to worry, honey. I just told her you're on the market and asked her if she's a lesbian."

"What?" Lauren shrieked horrified. "You did not!"

"What? There's no shame in being a lesbian these days. Your sister and you are lesbians and I couldn't be more proud of my girls even if I tried!" Mabel Lewis said firmly.

"Of course there isn't!" Lauren rubbed her forehead. "That's not the point! I can't believe you asked her that!"

"Well, I don't know everything about lesbian etiquette, but I think you need to know she's even into the ladies before you get started on these things. Or is this a case of that gaydar thing I keep hearing Tamsin talk about?"

"Get started? What? Mother!"

"Oh, don't worry, honey. Bo was very open and relaxed about my questions. You could learn a thing or two from her," Mabel said with what Lauren knew was a teasing grin.

"She uhm...she was? What uhm...what uh did she tell you?" Lauren asked suddenly paying close attention.

"She's dated women before."

"She has?" Lauren asked perking up. "I mean, I knew that!" Lauren bristled not wanting to give it away that in fact she hadn't known that for sure, she'd only suspected it.

"I like her, honey. She's polite and she sounds nice. You can always tell by a person's voice that they're nice."

"Mom, no yo-... I mean...Yes, she is nice, but I hardly think you can tell a person is nice just by the sound of thei-

"I tell you, when I first met your father I fell in love with the sound of his voice, that deep timbre! Still gives me chills when I think about it. Did I ever tell you your father and I met on Crete?"

"Yes mom, you've told that story a zillion-"

He was so dashing. I've got a good feeling about this one, honey. Crete just has that magic about it. Snap a picture of her for me will you? She must be quite the looker from how flustered she makes you."

"I didn't say she makes me flu- She doesn't... " Lauren shook her head. "How do you know she makes me flustered?"

"I've gotta go, honey. Betty is here, we've got our outfits on for the 'Proud Lesbian Moms' parade. Tamsin tells me you haven't slept with anyone in two years. It's time to get off the pot, honey, okay?"

Lauren pinched the bridge of her nose. " You and Tamsin talk about my sex life? Cause that's not embarrassing and wrong at all! Goddamn, Tamsin!"

"Don't blame your sister, honey, she just wants to see you happy...and satisfied. So make the date count, kay?" Mabel added with a smirk to which Lauren groaned loudly.

"Wha- what date? What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't worry, she said yes! Really gotta go now, honey. Love you!"

"What? No, no! Mom! Please tell me you didn't ask Bo to go on a da-"

"Say bye to that lovely Bo of yours there."

"She's not MY B-..Lauren defended but Mabel Lewis had already hung up leaving the blonde standing there. She couldn't believe her mother Surely her mother hadn't gone as far as actually asking Bo out on a date for Lauren. That had been a joke, right? Probably something Tamsin told her mom to say to her just to mess with her or something.

When Lauren lowered her phone and put it away in her pocket, her head was throbbing. She and Bo had had such a good day, just talking. Lauren hadn't fallen over or blurted out anything stupid. The day truly, had been very low on the embarrassment scale and then her mother called and Lauren was starting to wonder if she'd ever have a day without embarrassment. On the other hand...Bo dated women! Hah! Course she does! Lauren suddenly grinned. _Yup, her gaydar was still in working order! _Lauren thought as she made it back to the table and spotted Bo.

"I think it's the first time I've ever been asked on a date by someone's mother," Bo said smiling wide in greeting.

"Oh god," Lauren groaned.

* * *

**Replies to reviews**

**Joan**: Thanks, Joan! There wasn't any Rachel/Mary interaction in this chap, but there will be in the next. Hope I made up for that with lots of Bolo though :-)

**J:** Yup, you know where to go, and who to take with ya -wiggle brows-

Yes, your girlfriend, of course ;-) haha

**Mulder:** I'm having a lot of fun with her inner monologue actually :-) Gosh, she's adorkable huh? :-)

**Guest:** Yay! Best compliment ever when people burst out laughing!

**Junetweed**: Anytime. Cuba, huh? Bet that was cool, haven't been there yet, but would love to go. Maybe in like a year or two or five, huh?When we're allowed to travel again ;-)

**Koga:** haha! Oo, so liking you enjoyed that! :-)

**Susan:** And the one who asked was...drum roll...Lauren's mom! haha!

**Frenchi:** De rien, avec plaisir :)

**NineDays**: Well, Lauren Lewis not overthinking a situation? We both know that's not gonna happen :-)


	5. Chapter 5

Alright, this is like a MONSTER chapter, so I'm not gonna say much,... It's more Lauren ramblings and a sort of date...

Posting it now, even though it's late and I should reread this one last time when I'm more awake and alert, but whatev... If it's still full of typos, not to worry, I'll edit it later!

Hope you enjoy, that this makes you laugh, or chuckle a bit, hope you are all healthy, love you loads, and leave me a review :-)

Oo, and I'm also working on an update for Christmas Date, so you should also get a new chap for that story soon!

Kisses!

* * *

**Day 5: The non date, date: showdown at the OK corral**

**Lauren's hotel**

Day five and Lauren, getting breakfast from the self service breakfast bar of the hotel, wasn't in a good mood. Looking at the assorted rolls, and breakfast toppings, some of which looked very exotic and interesting, Lauren ruminated about her bad mood. She could claim it was because she hadn't had a good night's sleep, which was true -in a way-, cause Lauren hadn't gotten that much sleep, she'd had a rather vivid dream...Yes, a hot, very steamy dream about Bo, but that wasn't a reason to be grumpy. Quite the opposite really. She'd gladly sacrifice sleep for a hot dream like that! She could claim it was because she hadn't gotten as far with her reading as she would have liked by now, but that too, wasn't really what was bothering her. Lauren knew she had plenty of time to finish the book. It wasn't like the author was going to show up at the end of the week, and make her take a pop quiz. It wasn't even the fact that Lauren had stumped her toe this morning against a very unforgiving sharp corner of the bed. Nope, all of these reasons weren't the reasons Lauren was in a bit of a funk. Lauren was in a funk because today she was going to visit the Heraklion museum..

_Alone_.

Well, alone wasn't the right word. She was joining about twenty other tourists from the hotel on their daily outing, but the overall thought of it 'sucking', was still valid because her visit would be without Bo.

Why without Bo?

Bo had to work.

_Work._

Another reason Lauren thought to dislike Undesirable Number One, other wise known as 'Dyson': he made Bo _work._

_Seriously, Crete was a **vacation** island, stress the vacation. Why did Bo have to work? _What was the point of going to the museum without Bo? Lauren would just sulk she knew. Everything she'd see she knew she'd want to share with the brunette.

No seriously, she would. Lauren thought setting her plate down at her usual table with a bit of a huff.

Going on a trip without Bo was just like a big overall blah thing... Kind of like walking the Samaria gorge. Lauren hadn't gone ten minutes without wishing Bo could have joined her, been with her. And if you asked Lauren about it now, then **no** she was not acting petulant and childish. In her mind, Lauren had good reason to huff, and complain.

So there Lauren sat cutting into her roll enjoying, but not really enjoying that same wonderful view she had from her favorite spot contemplating whether to skip the visit or not. Lauren was only halfway through Rachel, and that wasn't even near where she had expected to be by now, but if she'd spend the day locked up in her hotel room like a hermit, she could make some serious headway.

Okay, even Lauren found locking herself up like a hermit a little sad when she was on vacation, and also Bo had told Lauren she'd see her tonight, and she told her there would be a quiz on the things she saw today, and that had made Lauren laugh a little, so Lauren decided then and there with her roll poised to her lips to go through with the stupid Bo-less visit to the museum.

_Begrudgingly._

"Lauren Lewis, fancy finding you here." A familiar voice suddenly sounded next to her, and when Lauren Lewis looked up, Jon Granger, the director of the movie Lauren was in, and one of Lauren's long-time friends, grinned a toothy grin at her. His scruffy dark red beard and red head of hair were framed by dark sunglasses that almost hid the smile in his eyes. Lauren smiled wide taking him in standing in front of her with white pale, somewhat chunky legs sticking out of kaki shorts, and a light blue short sleeved button-down shirt with armpit stains signalling that the man was already overheated.

"Jon!" Lauren yelped out delighted, rising up from her chair and pulling her friend into her arms. "I didn't know you were here already!" Lauren exclaimed looking at her friend with a smile. "I thought you were flying in tomorrow morning."

"I meant to text you," Jon informed. "But my phone died on me somewhere between Toronto and Munich," he stated. Lauren chuckled lightly. Jon was a great director with eye for details, meticulous in his planning and vision, but in his personal life he was a complete slob, so focused he could become on a project that he'd forget everything else.

"Forgot the charger?" Lauren asked.

"No, it literally died," Jon said and pulled his phone from his pocket. The screen was cracked, and when Jon pushed the on button on the side of the phone, the screen only lit up in a few rainbow colored stripes and then fizzed back out.

"Or still in the process of dying?" Jon asked when the device suddenly let out something between a wail and a beep.

The pair looked down at the device as if it was a frog they needed to disect and then it just sort of burped at them. "Definitely on life support," Lauren agreed.

Anywhooo...,some fat Irish loaf sat on it when he returned from using the bathroom on the plane. Yes, that would be me!" Jon said wiggling his brows pointing at himself. "It was strangely crunchy under the buttocks I must say," Jon added making a face, and Lauren laughed out loud at her friend. Jon's presence lifted Lauren out of her morning funk, and when Lauren asked Jon to join Lauren for breakfast and go with her to the Heraklion museum, Jon readily agreed to both.

After breakfast Lauren and Jon along with the other tourists went to the museum in Iraklion and spent a good three hours there looking at the collection including the Phaistos disk, the golden double ended axes, the bull leaping athlete, and admiring the detail on a honeybee amulet, carefully and meticulously crafted in pure gold. For lunch they went to a small bistro not far from the museum where they talked about everything except work both knowing those dreary lunch meetings and endless discussions would be round the corner soon enough. Actually, a few of the investors were flying in the day after, and there was a meeting planned in the afternoon, so yeah, the shop talk was most assuredly kicked to the backseat.

Most of the other tourists had decided to go back to the hotel in the afternoon, but Lauren and Jon spent a little more time walking around in Heraklion. Jon really needed a new phone, and he wound up buying two just in case he'd accidentally break or loose another one. "There's a lot of water here, and steep cliffs," he offered in explanation and Lauren just agreed cause really that was true. Danger to phones did lurk around every corner here. For a few moments Lauren wondered if perhaps she too needed to buy a back-up phone, but in the end decided she didn't.

When Lauren asked Jon to join her for Dyson and Bo's early Halloween party, Jon immediately said yes never being one to turn down a party, certainly not one where he got to dress up, and Lauren smiled happily at that. Lauren would have been even happier if tonight would have been date night already, but this Halloween party that Bo and Dyson hosted every year meant that Bo would be running around most of the night with only a little time for Lauren, which wasn't much of a date both ladies had concluded. Still, Lauren most assuredly didn't count tonight as a loss. She was going to see Bo and she would make the most of her time with her. It'd be kinda like a predate date, and now, that Jon was coming with, Lauren even had a buddy to hang out with. All in all, it was pretty awesome.

"I must say, I'm impressed," Jon told Lauren. "You finding people that organize costume parties in these temperatures. They must truly be my kind of idiots."

"And there will be plenty of alcohol!" Lauren offered nodding and grinning.

Jon stuck out his wide protruding belly striking a pose. "I see a Captain America outfit in my future!" he said, and Lauren laughed lightly.

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_The world was muted around me as I stood in the middle of the road holding Maxime in my arms. Then someone yanked at me, someone tried to pull Maxime from my hands, and I resisted until I saw the wide eyes of my aunt looking at her son._

_"I'm so sorry," I prattled out as I let go of him. "I'm so sorry," I repeated and repeated over and over again as I heard my aunt wailing. Tears ran over my face as I looked at her clasping her son against her chest, and she sagged to her knees._

_I wanted to comfort her, but it was as if I couldn't move, as if I was rooted on the spot, then I was being yanked at again. Wide, frantic eyes ran over me as did hands over my face and shoulders. "You're okay," my mother prattled as she pulled me into her arms quickly and then let go just as fast. _

_"Marie, we need to get out of here." _

_"Marie," she urged again as my mind kept dwelling back to Maxime's blue eyes staring up at me, and I kept repeating how sorry I was, unable to move. _

_"Marie!" my mother shouted, and next I knew my cheek stung with the force of her slap, and I looked back up, anger bristling as my eyes narrowed on her. _

_"We need to get out of here, I need your help! Get your grandparents and your aunt into the car, and let's go!" _

_I nodded dumbly, and ran to my aunt. I helped her up to her feet and put my arm under her shoulder as I lead her back to the second car. I glanced back one time at my mother who was talking to our maid, a young woman in her thirties, Angela, who'd been with us for a number of years. Despite the chaos, I found my grandparents fairly quickly, and got my aunt and them seated in the second car. Joseph and Margaret, my father's mother and father, were both rattled, but they were alert, and quickly did as they were asked. _

_My mother and Angela had reached the car as well and got in, my mother taking the wheel. _

_"Where's Richard?" I asked. _

_"He didn't make it," my mother replied, and she turned the key in the ignition. _

_"Mother, we can't just leave him!" I protested and went to open the door. _

_"Marie, he was killed in the explosion. There's no..." my mother swallowed and I fell silent. I had understood and my hand fell from the door handle defeated. _

_We sped away and drove away from the scene. We drove for longer than two hours although that particular car ride felt to me as if it lasted for days. We were all packed together like sardines on the backseat. My aunt never said a word, she just continued to clasp the lifeless body of her son to her chest, while my grandparents, my grandmother especially did her best to comfort her. I on the other hand, sat staring blankly ahead. Those two hours in the backseat my mind kept swerving between memories of what had happened that day, and memories of Rachel keeping me sane, healthy, giving me solace. _

_The sun was near to setting when my mother finally pulled over. Without saying a word, she got out of the car, and went round to the trunk to grab a few things -I couldn't see what- then she opened the car door where my aunt was sitting. My mother bent through her knees, and as soon as she came up to my aunt's eye level, and felt her pulse, she shook her head. A tear fell from her face. My stomach clenched again. A piece of schrapnel had buried itself in my aunt's side when the bomb had fell. No one had noticed, and my aunt hadn't said a word. Slowly, on the backseat, holding her son, Viviane had bled to death.  
_

_We buried my aunt and Maxime in a corn field as the sun was setting. When we had said a few words, and my grandparents were seated in the car again, my mother grabbed my wrist. _

_"Marie, I need you to go in the car, and pull out a black leather bag from the trunk. Bring it to me." _

_I frowned not really understanding, but my mother's tone and the look she gave me quickly made me understand that I needed to do what she asked of me. I sauntered off to the car, quickly found the leather bag, and made my way back to the field. My mother and Angela stood conversing with one another as I walked back. Angela was giving my mother a hard look as if they'd been having a discussion, and Angela hadn't agreed. _

_As soon as the pair saw me, their conversation fell, and I exhaled. I gave my mother the leather bag and looked at her questioningly. _

_"What's going on, mother? Where are we going?" I asked. I knew we were running low on fuel, and we had lost most of our cash money when the other car had been blown up._

_My mother eyed me, and then glanced back at Angela. Angela nodded at her, and I frowned again not understanding what was going on, but my attention was drawn to the black leather bag my mother was now opening up. Out of it she pulled an electric device that was very similar to the phone I was used to seeing at the house, but this was bigger, and some of the ins and out, the wires and bulbs I didn't recognize at all._

_"This is a wiretap," my mother said. "It allows us to tap into a telephone line, and place a call without anyone tracing where that call is coming from, or listen into a conversation." My mother elaborated seeing the confused look I was giving her. "This war had been a long time coming, Marie. Your father stayed behind to help the resistance at home, Angela and I were supposed to make it to England and gather support, coordinate things from there, but we're not going to make it. Right now, we're going to place a call to a contact here in France. He'll hopefully be able to put us up for the night, and help with getting us back home."_

_"What we do is important, vital. Do not, under any circumstance, tell anyone what I am telling you right now. Not even when we get back home, not your friends, not your grandparents. You will only ever place them in danger. Do you understand?"_

_I nodded dumbly. _

_"Angela didn't want me to involve you, but I think you're old enough to understand. Can I count on you?"_

_I nodded dumbly._

_"Promise me, Marie. Do you understand?" _

_"Yes."_

_"Yes, what?" _

_"Yes, I promise. I will not tell anyone." _

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It was sometime in the afternoon when Lauren and Jon returned from the city. Jon had found his Cap America outfit, and Lauren had found an outfit she was secretively very happy with and wondered if Bo would recognize. The day, however, had been a hot day, and before Jon and Lauren would meet up again later for a few hours at the hotel beach, Jon wanted to go take a shower and call his wife. Lauren, whose mind was already preoccupied with seeing Bo later on at the party, saw it as the perfect opportunity to call Tamsin up and interrogate or as Lauren framed it in her mind 'ask' her sister about Bo, but really interrogate was the right word, Lauren wanted to grill her sis, make sure that every scrap of information Tamsin had about Bo, Lauren would know.

"So McBoobster is the mystery tour guide huh? Oh man, no wonder your panties are dropping," Tamsin commented almost as soon as she had picked up her phone and even though Lauren couldn't see her sister, Lauren knew Tamsin was smirking. Mabel had already called Tamsin to tell her who Bo was, and Lauren rolled her eyes a little cause obviously neither her sister nor her mother had any regard for Lauren's privacy. But then, that's the way it had always sort of been in the Lewis household, and Lauren didn't see that changing any time soon. Mabel Lewis meddled because she just really wanted to see her youngest daughter happy, married, and she really wanted grandchildren, and thought her youngest daughter would be her best bet for that, and Tamsin, well Tamsin also wanted to see her sis happy.

The sisters were close and Tamsin knew Lauren was different than she was. Lauren wanted the traditional things: a fairy tale wedding, a loving partner, someone that challenged her and loved her at the same time, a kid or two along the way. Even when Lauren had told herself and Tamsin that she was okay with being single, Tamsin knew better. Also, Tamsin was always invested in Lauren's love life because she reckoned that when her sis finally tied up the knot and then at some point would get up the duff, the motherly pressure on Tamsin to go white picket fence would drop. Yes, Tamsin was a very different creature from her sister. Tamsin was a lone wolf, she liked her freedom, loved dating, and loved women, just not enough to commit to one of them. When Tamsin saw her own future she saw one with her being a cool aunt to Lauren's kids. A cool aunt that babysat the kids on occasion, but didn't do diapers. Lastly, Tamsin Lewis meddled because Lauren and love interests always spelled entertainment.

"I bet you've been falling all over yourself, getting all embarrassed, tongue tied.."

"Whaddaya mean?" Lauren scrunched her brow.

"Come on, Laur! I know what McBoobster looks like: tall, dark and busty, likes to wear leather. Looks like a bad girl, but has a heart of gold?" Tamsin asked. "You literally drooled over Lucy Lawless whenever Xena came on. You were so cute then with your braces and your hair up in braids, that open mouth, little drool to the side of your mouth, those dreamy eyes glued to the screen. Such a geek."

"I uh I just liked the show, I admired the performances." Lauren chided annoyed, even though, and in all fairness and to be exact... Yup, Lauren had drooled over Lucy. The drooling was a combination of Lauren's newly set braces that made saliva control difficult at times, and Lauren's pervy teenage brain that lusted after Miss Lawless' luscious curves.

Xena Warrior Princess had been Lauren's sexual awakening. As in Lauren had realized, definitively and unequivocally, that she was gay because of Lucy Lawless. Well that and her huuuuuge crush on Mrs. Peters, her 8th grade school teacher, but yes, Xena had featured prominently in Lauren's bedroom, above her bed actually and prominently in her dreams too: sculpted arms, leather, fiery blue eyes, dark hair and busty; sword and Chakram in hand. What wasn't to like?

Y_es, Lauren had touched herself dreaming of those sculpted arms, and that busty bosom okay? Like once or twice. _

_With modicum._

_Okay, per week! She was a teen._

_She had needs. It was normal._

_Okay, it definitely hadn't been normal! Lauren at age 15 had a been a horndog, her hormones were on overdrive, and she had let her fingers work as often as she could!_

"Oh, I caught you admiring plenty of times, just wasn't ever the performances," Tamsin cut into her thoughts with a smirk.

_Wha? Wha? Had Tamsin caught Lauren masturbating over Lucy Lawless when she was younger? _Lauren thought mortified. _No, no, no!_

"But, I'm proud of ya sis, you've come a long way from being such a geek. Asking Bo out on a date took stones!"

_Wait, no! She meant she caught you 'drooling' and just basically perving over Lucy. Oh thank God! _Lauren thought taking a big gulp of air.

"I mean shit, I remember when you were dating that Nadine, Nadia chick? That took you forever to ask her out. How did you do it?"

"Huh?" Lauren said her mind still reeling, confused.

"How did you ask Bo out on a date?"

"I uh...just asked her," Lauren stuttered fibbing taken completely off guard. Lauren had assumed her mom would have already told Tamsin how their date had come to be, but seeing as she clearly hadn't, and Mabel had actually allowed Lauren to retain some degree of dignity. Lauren wasn't going to tell her sis that her mom had asked Bo out on a date.

_Nope, no way! _

Tamsin already had too much fun poking fun at Lauren, and if Lauren's mom hadn't said anything then that was a clear sign from the powers that be or God, or her mom, or whoever that Tamsin really didn't need to know. So, Lauren was going to stay tightlipped, and really it didn't matter. Lauren was a grown woman who could be bold, she had 'cohonas'. Well, not literally, but you got the point. The point being that Lauren would have asked Bo out on a date herself. It was just the case that her mom beat her to it, that's all.

So yeah, she could lie about this, fib about it.

Trouble was though, Lauren was a horrible liar.

No really, she was.

This one time she had lied to her teacher about missing the bus and being late in school. It was a horrible lie, cause Lauren never took the bus, she had her trusty bike Ophelia that she used to go to school with and anywhere else Lauren wanted to go. That morning Lauren had just gotten caught up with all the beautiful flowers and spring blossoms on display and she'd lost track of time. Lauren was an A student, never got into trouble, so the teacher simply bought her excuse, no questions asked. But, as the day progressed, Lauren's lie began to fester in her mind. Lauren could picture herself on the slippery slope of lying. One day you were an innocent 11-year-old minding your own business, doing your homework telling a white lie, and the next you knew you were a drug dealer selling Oxycodon to the housewives in your neighborhood, who then turned on you cause you were late with one of their deliveries.

_No seriously, Lauren had seen a show about it once! It was that easy, and cracked-out housewives were seriously scary!_

Weighed down by guilt and anguish, Lauren at the end of the day, went to the principal and turned herself in, thereby saving her innocent soul from a life of crime and getting raped in jail. Yeah, Lauren was only 11, but she knew about not dropping the soap. Those two weeks of detention she got for lying were a relief!

"You asked her, where?" Tamsin asked, pressing for details.

"Just, yo-you know, around.." Lauren said vaguely already getting flustered. "In, uh...the car,"

"Around, in a car? Come on, sis, you gotta give me more than that!"

"Look, I- I don't have to tell you everything!" Lauren blurted red in the cheeks.

"You know you only get defensive when you're lying," Tamsin smirked. "What happened? Did Bo ask you?"

"I uh..." Lauren stuttered again hearing the sound of a text message coming through on Tamsin's end.

"Oh shit!" Tamsin laughed out loud. "Mom asked for you? Oh fuck!" Tamsin blurted and next Lauren knew her sister fell into a laughing fit that lasted for several minutes. Every once in while, Tamsin would come up for air and try to phrase a question, but then Tamsin's signature cackle laugh would sound through the phone again leaving Lauren to roll her eyes in annoyance.

"I just got the text from mom!" Tamsin said still laughing, wiping a tear away. "Oh shitkas that's some good stuff!"

"You know, you two talking about my love life is going to put me into therapy!" Lauren scowled.

"Oh shit, you can't make that stuff up!" Tamsin said shaking her head laughing.

"Shut it, Tamsin!" Lauren snapped. "Instead of laughing at me, help me out with my date!"

"Sorry sis," Tamsin said wiping the tears in her eyes. "Fuck, Mabel Lewis, you are a hoot! haha!" Tamsin let out one final chuckle before she pulled back and said. "Whaddaya need sis?"

"Well, you know Bo well, so tell me what was she like...in college?" Lauren asked trying to sound casual as she opened her closet to get out the outfit she needed for the beach.

"Uh, I dunno. Like she's right now, I suppose. Uh big doe eyes like Bambi, bigger boobs,.."

"I don't mean what she looks like, noob! I know that!" Lauren admonished. Cause yeah, Lauren knew what Bo looked like, she knew Bo had big boobs!

_No, like really, cause Lauren had seen Bo in a bikini!_ She knew how big they were, cause they'd been on display. They were a prominent star in Lauren's nightly 'ponderings'. _More than a handful! _Lauren knew and dreamily smirked.

_Oh lala and all that! _

"Uh, popular, I suppose." Tamsin said thinking about how much male and female attention always got. "Funny, Oh, good drinker!" Tamsin added as if she'd just listed Bo's most admirable quality. Lauren in turn smiled at Bo being popular, cause she could see that. She could see Bo being well liked cause of how warm she was as a person.

"And what kinda movies did she like, what kind of music?"

"Terminator and The Grateful Dead,"

"Those are **_your_** favorites, Tam." Lauren rolled her eyes.

"And I can't be friends with anyone who doesn't like Arnold and The Grateful Dead. So, yeah, those are her favorites. They are awesome choices! I represent the choice of the world."

"Tam," Lauren said in a clipped tone.

"I dunno, it's not like we swapped poetry albums or something!"

"You never watched a movie with her? What the heck did you do for two years then?" Lauren asked instantly recalling her own college days and how they were filled with book clubs, movie clubs, theatre clubs, poetry clubs. Lauren and her friends did swap poetry albums, and had poetry nights where they read to one another what they had written, but she decided not to mention that.

"Yeah, we watched Terminator. 'I'll be back' " Tamsin said imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice. "And we drank and partied, went out. Covered for one another, played each other's wingman. That girl got a lot of attention ya know. Girls and guys would flock to her li-"

"TMI, Tam, TMI!" Lauren sang out. Cause Lauren didn't need to hear about Bo's former lovers. _Gods! _

Tamsin grinned. "As I was gonna say, she had a lot of attention, but she didn't date that much."

"Oh?" Lauren perked up at that. "You-you think I'm her type?"

"Laur, you're everyone's type,"

"What does that mean?" Lauren asked scrunching her brow not sure if that was a compliment or not.

"You're gorgeous, sis. Of course you're her type, and Bo always had a thing for brainy blondes."

"Oh," Lauren smiled at her sis being so nice, and Bo's type being blondes. _Good to know,_ Lauren thought. "What else? Hobbies, interests?"

"Uhm shooting pool? Video games?" Tamsin said in a tone Lauren knew she was guessing and she was just offering up another few of her own hobbies.

"Okay, can you at least tell me what her major was?"

"Uhm..."

"Seriously?"

"History...I think, uh wait...Archeology? You know, one of those totally useless degrees," Tamsin said with a smirk.

"Oh, really?" Lauren perked up once again, cause really that did suit the brunette. So Bo had an archeology degree from Stanford? That's just so typically Bo, Lauren thought dreamily. To have a fancy degree, and to be modest like that about it. No wonder Bo was such a great guide. It wasn't like Bo was Indiana Jones, but that was where Lauren's mind was immediately leaping to. Cause really, to Lauren it wasn't a far stretch to imagine the brunette saving her from a pit of snakes clad in a tight leather outfit. Or to picture herself pressed to said leather outfit.

_HOT!_

"You'll be fine, sis," Tamsin said. "Just don't take her to like French cinema or those indie movies and shit."

"She doesn't like those?" Lauren frowned.

"I dunno, but if I was taking Bo on a date, I'-"

**"You're not taking Bo out on a date! Not ever! No! Nope!"** Lauren bristled before she could stop herself. Lauren hadn't forgotten Dyson Schmyson and how he'd been encroaching on her territory, and one other contender for Bo's affections was more than enough! Lauren LOVED Tamsin, but her sister seriously needed to stay away from Bo, cause Lauren had her belly full of Tamsin's exes, and she'd seen Bo first!

Well, that wasn't really true, cause Tamsin had known Bo before Lauren had met her, but the point was valid none the less. As in, Lauren had dibs, Bo was hers!

"I'm not! Jeez sis. Gods, mom wasn't joking when she said you had it bad! I'm just saying that I know you. You'll get all artsy fartsy on her wanting to actually watch the movie and then afterwards discuss it, and it'll just suck the life out of the mojo you guys have going on."

Lauren went to protest, but Tamsin cut her off with a definite and finite. "No, seriously, those movies will make sure you never have sex again, they will turn you back into a virgin."

Lauren frowned. She hadn't thought about taking Bo to an indie or a European movie, but that was mostly cause she was in Crete and she didn't know where to start looking for those kind of movie theaters here. Lauren had actually thought about taking Bo to one of those for like a future date. Like their fourth date when Lauren had gotten back to Canada, and Bo had followed her. Obviously, Lauren was getting ahead of herself there just a little, but whatever...

Lauren scratched indie and/or European movies from the mental list of appropriate dates. Cause even though Lauren found what Tamsin had said outrageous, Tamsin knew a thing or two about getting laid, and Lauren wanted to get laid.

No seriously, she wanted it, needed it. Cause two years was a long time, and Lauren was going through vibrators like there was no tomorrow. So yeah, she wasn't taking any chances. Was that really why she hadn't gotten laid in two years? She had taken a lot of her dates to indie movies.

The sisters talked for a few minutes more. Lauren asked Tamsin if she knew about Dyson, which Tamsin, to Lauren's slight dismay, didn't. Then Tamsin shared a few Bo anecdotes that had Lauren smiling widely.

"Hey Tams, did you ever meet anyone of Bo's family? Or did she talk about them?" Lauren asked at one point.

"Uhm, well... she had a grandma she was close to. She used to call her up every day. That woman was a hoot."

"But nothing about her parents? No brothers or sisters?"

"I think she's an only child, and no, she never did talk about her parents."

"How come you guys didn't keep in touch? I mean, you guys were close, right?"

"Uh, she just graduated and moved back to Europe," Tamsin replied. "Hard to stay in touch,"

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Lauren said only frowning lightly.

"Hey sis, it's been nice talking to ya, but I gotta jet, get back to work here."

"You're working on a Friday?" Lauren arched a brow. "I thought Friday was your day off? Gunning for a promotion are ya?"

"It's election year, sis. The mayor is putting pressure on us to close out as many cases as we can, so yeah.. I'm hauling ass and taking names left, right and center."

Lauren frowned. Tamsin was a prosecutor in Toronto. The mayor of Toronto, a guy called Al Fisher was a career politician looking to make it big as a Senator, and he was always keen on using the prosecutors office win/lose ratio to demonstrate just what a great leader and mayor he truly was. As if those numbers were his personal accomplishment. Lauren didn't like it when the mayor was pushing again, cause she already knew how hard Tamsin worked. "Well, you are the best prosecutor he has," Lauren said affectionately. "Just don't let that idiot work you too hard, k?"

Tamsin chuckled at her sister's fierceness and smiled. "I won't, promise. Now, I really do have to go," Tamsin said. "Love you, sis."

"Love you too," Lauren replied.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Dyson's house **

Bo was making her tour of the house checking if they had everything they needed for the party later that night. Everything seemed to be set : the house was almost spotless, and Dyson had taken care of everyone's drinks so there were plenty of beer, wine and sodas in coolers. There were also more than enough glasses and plates for everyone and the live band had been practising their set. Three BBQ grills had been set up to bake everyone's food to perfection, and the caterer should be coming in a few hours. He just needed to let her know what time exactly he'd be at the house. Bo still needed to buy a few squirt guns from the store but all the other games like darts, badminton, pingpong,.. had been set up in the garden ready to be played for those who wanted to.

Everything seemed in order when some fifteen minutes later Bo checked her watch. She needed to pick up some tourists in about 45 minutes. The airport was only about twenty minutes away, but with traffic being what it was, it was always better to be save than sorry, so she called out to Dyson telling him she was off. Bo went to her room to get her jacket, and then spotted her laptop on the dresser. She decided to check her mail to see if the caterer had mailed her back. She grabbed her MacBook, and as she did, her eye fell on a shoe box sitting next to the computer. She thought of Lauren then and the fact that she was going to see her tonight.

Bo slipped into the seat by the desk, opened her laptop and quickly checked her mail. The caterer would be there between 6 and 7pm, which was perfect timing. She closed her laptop, her eyes falling on the box again. Bo hadn't really thought about the content of the box in all the time she'd been in Crete, but now with Lauren here, she had to. As she pulled out the content, she felt the heavy paper under her fingertips. She opened the first letter, the dark ink staring up at her.

**_My love _**

**_I still feel your touch on me as I lay here under the stars... _**

The first few lines read, and Bo scanned over a few of the other letters that were very similar in kind.

**_What I know is that, I long for you. I long for that gentle hand of yours to brush my cheek. I long for the warmth and the comfort, the safety and the shivers it gave me. I long to feel joy again, alive and whole like I did when I was with you. You have marked me, touched me and given me life, a force that cannot be seen..._**

Bo thought about the content of the letters, she thought about Lauren and how tonight she would see her, about how tomorrow she was going on a date with her. Thinking about Lauren made Bo smile; Lauren was beautiful, gorgeous really, funny, kind, exciting, and completely adorable. Lauren was a unique mixture of things that made Bo's heart race, but her growing feelings towards Lauren also filled Bo with a sort of trepidation. Looking at the letters in her hand, Bo knew she needed to talk to Lauren, and she needed to do it before their date.

Bo put the letters back in the box and closed the lid, she grabbed her jacket from her bed, and headed out the door.

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_It was six in the morning when the door to my bedroom suddenly flew open, and a German soldier barged in._

_"Raus!" he yelled, and when I didn't comply immediately, he stepped into me, rushed the bed and pulled the sheets from me. I scrambled out of the bed, my heart beating wildly as he kept barking at me telling me to go downstrairs. I complied and a few minutes later I, together with my mother, father, grandparents, and Angela were all standing in the living room three German soldiers in front of us. We were all in our night attire still. My grandmother stood shaking slightly on her knees; the long tresses of her lilac nightgown rustling against the parket flooring.  
_

_"Papieren!" the eldest and judging by his uniform, the highest soldier in rank barked. My father nodded his head and went over to the dresser in the far end of the living room. "Schnell!" one of the others urged and poked my father in the back with the bud of his gun. I went to protest, but got the back of another gun to the temple before I could. "Marie!" my mother gasped and I sagged to the floor.  
_

_When I came to, my head was throbbing, and I was laying on the sofa in the living room. My grandmother was seated next to me in the deep green one seat sofa my father usually sat in. She smiled at me, and said visibly relieved: "You're awake," I nodded my head, and blinked my eyes still adjusting to the light that was filtering in through the large bay windows. _

_"Where are mother and father?" I asked once I could think clearly.  
_

_"They've taken them away, dear" my grandmother said. "All we can do is wait."_

_"What?" I shot up in protest. "We have to go get them!" I had already lost my aunt and my cousin. I wasn't going to let my parents out of my sight._

_"Marie, you'll only make it worse if you try. Your grandfather has gone out to find out where the Germans may have taken them. I don't need you to make me worry even more."my grandmother said sternly.  
_

_I nodded my head seemingly abiding by her wishes, but I wouldn't just stand idly by.  
_

_"I'm going to go get a glass of milk," I said to my grandmother. "Can I get you someting?" _

_"No, my dear. Thank you," she replied and I headed downstairs to the kitchen. I needed to find Angela and talk to her._

_I exchanged a glance with Angela as soon as I came into the kitchen. There was one of the scullary maids grabbing pots and pans that made it impossible for us to have a conversation._

_"Yvette, will you please go clean the silver," Angela asked and the young woman nodded leaving through one of the backdoors._

_"Where are they, Angela?" I asked as soon as I knew Yvette was out of earshot._

_"I don't know much. The Germans have set up headquarters at the Police Station. That's probably where they are being held. They've been going around town, rounding people up, holding them. From what we can gather they usually release them after a few days."_

_"Usually?" _

_"Just wait Marie," Angela said. "I know it's hard, but as soon as there is any development my contact will let us know." _

_Reluctantly, I nodded my head._

_It took another two days before my mother and father returned to the house. As soon as I saw them I flung my arms around them and told them I loved them. The last couple of weeks since we had gotten back from France had been a whirlwind, and I had let my worry for them fester so much that I had started to believe I would never see them again. My grandparents too were immensely happy to see their son and daughter-in-law again and we all stood there hugging and kissing for long moments. That night and long after my grandparents had gone to bed, my mother, father, Angela and I were all sitting in the living room. We'd been discussing what had happened to my parents that entire night; how they'd been put in a holding cell, how they'd been interrogated for hours, made to sleep on the cold floor of a police jail, poked and prodded. But, there were certain things my grandparents had no knowledge of. Now that they had gone to bed we could all speak freely.  
_

_"We all knew this was going to happen," my mother said after taking a sip of her wine. I frowned lightly quickly realising looking around the room that 'all' didn't include me._

_"The Germans picked up your father and I for questioning because I was caught working for the resistance in the first world war," my mother stated for my benefit and I nodded my mother's 'spy history' coming back to me as she said it. _

_"I thought you only did minor things for them," _

_"And luckily that is what they believe too, but in truth, it doesn't matter what I did. From the moment I was caught, I was put on a watch list, tagged and labelled. We all knew this, it was only a matter of time."_

_"What does that mean?"_

_"It means I am under a looking glass. If we'd been able to make it back to England, I could have helped coordinate the effort there. Now that I'm here, I can't leave the house without being followed. At least, not right now."_

_I frowned deeply and looked at my mother understanding and not really understanding. I had always thought my mother did minor things for the resistance; communicate the train time tables, carry food around, help out...that sort of thing. I had never conceived of her doing more than that, but now that I looked at her and I noticed how my father and Angela seemed to take their cues from her, I started to realise something that perhaps I should have already realised in France when she pulled out that wire tap. My father and mother had been much more involved with the resistance than I had ever given them credit for, and they were much more involved now too._

_"I can do it, mother." I said. "Whatever it is that you need me to do. They won't pay attention to me. You can coordinate things from here, and I'll carry out what you need me to. I want to, I want to help," I said with conviction. I was eighteen: young and in the depths of my heart I would always be a little foolhearted, but what had happened to my aunt and Maxime, what had happened to my parents; those two days we had spent not knowing what had happened to them had changed me, it had lit a fire in me to fight for justice, and to make the Germans pay._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lauren closed the book, and put it on her beach chair. She glanced over at Jon who'd fallen asleep in his sun bed in the shade and she smiled lightly at his soft snoring. Deciding not to wake him, Lauren gathered her purse and headed towards the hotel beach bar. She hadn't read as much as she would have wanted today with traipsing through Heraklion with Jon, but she just needed a quick break. She ordered two Virgin Mojito's at the bar, and sat herself down for a few moments. The shade from the straw roof of the bar was a welcomed shelter from the sun that always shone so brightly here in Crete. Lauren opened her book again, and leafed back to the page she'd left her story. After reading another twenty pages or so, Lauren returned to her beach chair finding Jon still sleeping.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Being in the resistance wasn't as glamourous as I innitially thought it would be. I was new and still had a lot to learn. People would frequent the house clandestinely , conversations and documents would be exchanged in the dead of night between my parents and others that I had no real knowledge of. I would run an errand, bring food. My father next to being the owner of a large factory, also owned a few stores in the center of town. One of them was a Jewish fish store. After the Jews had gone into hiding my father had put in a new sales person, who had supposedly changed his business to no longer cater to the Jews; In secret and after hours, however, the fish store operated as a meal service for Jews in hiding. Twice a week, I would sneak out after curfew, and ride my bike to the shop to pick up a load of Kosher fish. With my lights dimmed, I would drive through the back alleys of the city and make my way to several houses I knew were hiding Jews. Many a nights I hoped and prayed that Rachel was in England, that her family was, that they weren't one of the thousands of families that were forced to live in hiding. _

_After a few weeks of this pattern of collecting and distributing fish, there was a knock on our door one night. I usually slept through these nightly visits, but for some reason it woke me up that night. As soon as I voices emerge from the living room I was up out of my bed, taking the steps of the stairs two at a time. _

_As I burst into the living room, I stood wide-eyed looking at Rachel's father Charles whose voice I'd recognized. Without saying a word or any consideration for politeness or my parents' protests I flung myself in Charles' arms. Rachel's father grinned lightly and hugged me back tightly. _

_"Rachel, Ava, Juliette?" I asked pulling back from Charles' embrace. _

_"Ava is in England. Juliette and Rachel are with me," Charles said, and I understood that to mean that Rachel and Juliette were somewhere in the city living in hiding. Rachel hadn't made it to England then, she'd been here 'around' this entire time; hiding away in the walls, behind hidden doorways like some sort of rat or other vermin, instead of in a nice English country house somewhere where I had always tried to picture her. Anger billowed up inside of me. It rose so quickly that I couldn't help but curse out loud. I hated the Germans. I hated what they stood for, I hated what they were doing to other people, to Rachel, to Charles,... I felt a tear run down my face and then Charles' arms pulling me back into his embrace. He whispered softly. "She misses you," Right then I couldn't stop my tears from falling freely. I should have been comforting Charles instead of the other way around. What was wrong with the world that they would persecute a man as gentle and caring as Charles? _

_Along with tears of anger and injustice came tears of happiness. It was the first time I had heard any news from Rachel. Knowing she was alive and 'alright' was a huge relief. _

_"Marie, go to your room, please." My father said after I had once again broken my hug with Charles. I wanted to stay, but it was clear that Charles was here to see my parents, not me. At least I had gotten to see him, at least I had had news from Rachel. Reluctantly, I headed back upstairs to my room and left my parents to their discussions with one of their best friends. _

_The following morning my mother was in the kitchen. I arched a questioning eyebrow as I saw her packing tinned goods and asking the kitchen staff to pack up as much of everything as they could. In a strange way it felt like that night we fled to France, but there was less urgency to it. _

_"What's happening?" _

_"We're leaving the city, we're moving to the country." _

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Dyson's house: The Party**

"Lauren!" Dyson, dressed up like a cowboy, grinned as he threw his arms around the blonde with enthusiasm. "So good to see you!" he said warmly, pulling back. "You look fantastic," Dyson said with a grin scanning her over. " And you brought a friend," Dyson said with a smile. "The more the merrier!"

Lauren somewhat taken aback by the obvious warm greeting from her archrival, struggled for two seconds before her upbringing kicked in and she smiled. "Hey Dyson, you look great too!" the blonde managed to say. "Jon, this is Dyson Costas, Bo's friend," Lauren said punctuating the word 'friend'.

"Dyson this is Jon Granger, a good friend of mine."

"Cap!" Dyson said enthused grabbing Lauren's director by the shoulders in a similar enthused hug and then handing him a beer. "Awesome costume, dude! Welcome, welcome!"

Jon on his part looked delighted by this greeting, and the brand of beer he'd been handed.

"I went as The Torch last year," Dyson commented to Jon. "Year before that I went as 'Arm fall off Boy', so dude, you need to meet some of my mates.." Dyson continued and Lauren thought she actually heard Jon squeal in delight. At that point Lauren knew she'd lost Jon to Dyson who had his arm clasped around Jon's shoulder and together waggled off into the party crowd.

_Well..._

Jon returned some ten minutes later with two beers and a big wide grin on his face. "This party is rad Laur, and Dyson is awesome! I told him I went dressed as Herbie the Fat Fury' at one time for Halloween, and he has his action figure!"

_Dresses up and likes to play with action figures. _Lauren's brain huffed._ Really don't see what Bo sees in him._

"Oh and that Billy The Kid costume he has is friggen insane! The details on it are..." Lauren took another sip temporarily blocking out Jon's nerd rant. When Lauren tuned back in Jon said only this: "I might have a serious man crush," to which Lauren rolled her eyes and took a long swig of her drink.

Some thirty minutes later Lauren and Jon were talking animatedly to a couple of people Dyson had introduced them to: Hugh was a photographer who worked for National Geographic. His wife Anne was a journalist for the BBC. They'd met Dyson and Bo one year coming on vacation to the island and had hit it off so well, and fallen in love with the island so madly that they made Crete a yearly holiday destination. They were both interesting and very entertaining people and Lauren was having a great time talking to them. Still, Lauren couldn't help but scan the crowd frequently. The mass of people around Dyson's pool and in his garden seemingly kept on growing, as did the buzz of this party, but Lauren still hadn't spotted the reason she was there in the first place: a gorgeous 5.7ft brunette who's name rhymed with Lo. And then Bo came into view: the brunette was saying hello to everyone with smiles and hugs, and she looked gorgeous in a white tunic that draped her curves; her hair was up accentuating that long, regal, elegant neck, and gold jewelry hung from her wrists, neck, fingers. And then those eyes: heavy make-up lines just under the eyes, right up to the corners: Cleopatra eyes. All of this Lauren caught onto in a flash of a second, and all of this overloaded Lauren's senses in a flash of a second later, and that made Jon, Hugh and Anne raise their eyebrows as Lauren exclaimed: "Greek Goddess Almighty!"

"And that must be Bo," Jon Granger smiled knowingly looking towards the brunette Lauren was eying.

And then Lauren who was two parts thralled, one part mesmerized, one part stunned and all parts completely oblivious to the world around her, dropped her drink.

When Lauren's drink slipped out of her hands it landed on the edge of the table and bounced back. Lauren did a yelp and a lunge, but the bottle slipped through her hands once again and shattered on the floor. Lauren bent through her knees to clean up her mess.

"Don't worry about it, Lauren. I'll get it," Bo, who had walked up to Lauren quickly after seeing Lauren had dropped her bottle, said as she bent down next to the blonde.

"Sorry, Bo. I'm such a klutz," Lauren offered. _Gods, why did she keep doing this in front of Bo? She was a stumbling mess around the woman!_

"Nah," Bo shook her head good-naturedly and smiled. "It happens all the time. I think you are the fifth tonight," Bo added with a chuckle.

Lauren smiled back at the brunette. Bo always reassured you Lauren had noticed. She always made sure you didn't feel bad about something. _Except that one time where Lauren had flashed her granny bra and Bo...Okay, yeah Lauren definitely didn't need to recall that embarrassing moment! She needed her A game for goodness sakes! _

"Oh, well, that does make me feel a little better..." Lauren replied laughing lightly as the pair kept collecting the biggest shards of glass carefully.

"You look gorgeous, Lauren." Bo said with a smile letting her eyes roam over Lauren. "Ophelia?"

"Thank you, so do you...you give the real Cleopatra a run for her money," Lauren smiled wide. "And yes, Ophelia, you're the first one to get it right." Lauren offered flustered under Bo's scrutinous gaze.

"I had inside information," Bo offered. "I'll go get us a mop and a dustpan and we'll be right as rain," Bo said as she had collected the last big shard of glass. "And then you can introduce me to your friend Jon. I hear Dyson is wild about him!"

When some ten minutes later Bo left Lauren and Jon again for her hostess duties, Jon commented. "Yeah, I totally get it." Lauren had been talking non stop about Bo during Jon and Lauren's morning together. It'd taken Jon a good thirty seconds to realize his friend was totally smitten.

"Right?" Lauren smiled.

"I am a happily married man," Jon smiled at the thought of his wife. "Sarah is the love of my life, the most beautiful woman in the world. I say that partly cause it's true, and partly because my wife scares me, but your Bo.. Wow, she is Greek Goddess material. Damn!"

Lauren grinned wide. "She sure is."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The party was somewhere halfway and Lauren, just a little buzzed, was happily swaying to the live band when Lauren caught Dyson, a.k.a Billy The Kid walk her way, and Lauren, for a moment, felt like she'd been dropped right in the middle of a Western, cause what she saw was Billy the Kid tipping his Stetson to her, what she heard was the live band switching their sultry tune to the theme song of 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly', and the spurs of Billy The Kid's heels scraping against the wood of the deck. And was that tumble weed blowing by while the mass of people seemingly parted like the Red Sea for the cowboy's approach?

All of these elements led Lauren to one inescapable conclusion.

_This was it._

This was the moment Dyson was going to tell her to back-off from his woman and then he was going to challenge her to a duel at dawn, showdown at the OK Corral style!

"So...Lauren," Billy The Kid said as he pulled up beside her.

"I accept!" Lauren blurted.

"Wow, you must have eyes in the back of your head!" Dyson grinned as he pulled two beers from behind his back and handed one to Lauren.

"Cheers," Billy The Kid said as he tipped his own beer against Lauren's.

Lauren looked befuddled at the bottle of beer. It was a Stella Artois light, the same beer she'd been drinking all night. Dyson must have been paying attention to what she liked.

"So, Lauren..." Dyson started up again, and Lauren narrowed her eyes, _cause beware strangers bearing gifts and all that! _That proverb had been around since the ancient Greeks, so it needed to be heeded.

"I see the way you've been looking at my girl."

_His girl..._ Lauren thought rolling her eyes at the use of the possessive pronoun from the Macho pig. Lauren was sooo right! She knew she'd be right cause Lauren knew a thing or two about people. _She had skills! _

_He totally wants her! Well, he's gonna have to fight her for me!_ Lauren thought already winding herself up in her mind. Next to watching Bruce Lee, she'd also watched Mohammed Ali. She knew a little bit about 'move like a butterfly, sting like a bee'!

"I just wanted to say..."

_Here it comes..._

"If you hurt her, you'll have to deal with me, so be good to her okay, slugger?" Dyson asked bumping Lauren's shoulder.

Lauren blinked and then blinked again.

_Wait, what?_

"I'm just saying. I've seen how you look at her I've seen how Bo looks at you, and I'm asking to be good to her, maybe be a little patient because she can be skiddish, but that's just cause of what happened with that hag Madison, but she's good for it, ya know?"

"What?" Lauren asked now utterly confused. "You're not going to challenge me for a duel at dawn? Tell me to back off from your woman?"

"A duel?" Dyson asked lifting a brow. "I'm always up for a thumb wrestle if-"

"Ne-never mind. You want me to date Bo? Bu, but..what about the flirting and the twirling and the touching the other night?"

"Oh...yeah...that.."

"Yeah.._.that_." Lauren said with a pointed look, cause she still wasn't sure about Dyson. "You two flirt like there is no tomorrow," Lauren said in her best 'bad cop' tone, which was pretty good cause Lauren had at one time played a cop for a show. Lauren's glare would have been even more impressive if she'd been wearing a cop **outfit,** something crisp, snazzy, 'strong' and with a badge and a gun called Sally on her hip. This version of her bad cop wasn't quite what it could be dressed in a white free flowing princess gown.

"Yeah, sorry bout that." Dyson laughed lightly. _A stupid laugh._ Lauren thought. _Like that of a little girl or like a cheerleader. Peppy. Yes! That's who Dyson was, a male peppy cheerleader in a cowboy outfit. _Lauren disliked peppy cheerleaders, especially those in a cowboy get-up.

"The banter is a thing we have, we like the back and forth. It's like a mental exercise," Dyson shrugged his shoulders. "And Bo gets a lot of attention. Not all of it is always wanted, but part of our job is to entertain, so sometimes it's just easier for me to swoop in and play the boyfriend, ya know?" I only caught on after a couple of glares that I wasn't needed that way."

"Wait, what?" Lauren frowned disbelievingly. " So...so it's an act?" Lauren asked unfolding her arms slowly lowering her glare. "And there's nothing between you? You don't want Bo?"

"No, nothing at all" Dyson shook his head with a chuckle. "I've known Bo since she was seven and I was nine. We are best friends, Lauren. That's it."

"She glared huh?" Lauren asked a slow smile forming on her lips, her body starting to relax.

"And had a few choice words for me in private."

"Really?" Lauren asked now grinning.

"Yup." Dyson pushed back on his heels a little, and gave her a wink. "And she likes you...a lot." Right in that moment, Lauren leapt up and gave Dyson a big ass hug.

"That is so awesome!**_You_** are awesome!" Lauren said squeezing Dyson to her and Dyson just laughed. Yup, Lauren definitely ADORED Dyson, or Billy The Kid...whoever! _Absolutely LOVED him! _

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"Bo, can I dance with you?" Lauren asked some 45 minutes after falling into Dyson's arms. Bo was seated by a table in the far corner of the deck by the swimming pool. She was alone, and Lauren hadn't seen the brunette alone the entire night, she had always been running around getting something for someone or chatting to another new arrival.

"Obviously you can uhm.. finish your food first.." Lauren mumbled out, suddenly noticing Bo was mid chew.

_Awkward._

"Should I uhm, just sit down? Let you finish that?" Lauren asked seeing Bo was still chewing. "Omg, this is like the first moment you've had to sit down tonight, huh?"

Bo smiled as she nodded in answer to Lauren's question. "I thought I'd get a bite in having a five minute break, but I was going to come look for you straight after," Bo said with a smile after she'd swallowed. "I'd love to dance, but maybe we should wait until Dys has had his Ozzy Osbourne fix?" Lauren glanced over at the dance floor seemingly only now noticing what kind of music was playing and seeing Dyson, Jon Granger and a couple of other guys headbanging and air guitaring wildly to the possible physical danger of those around them. There was something about seeing Billy the Kid and Captain America doing that that made Lauren laugh out loud.

"Unless you're into that kinda thing," Bo winked, and Lauren chuckled.

"I think I'm safer right here for now," Lauren chuckled again taking a seat next to Bo in the moment Dyson grabbed one of the white plastic party chairs and swung it around.

"Ain't that the truth," Bo laughed back and put her plate on the table between them to share with Lauren. "There's something wrong with that boy."

"He's _your_ friend," Lauren said with a pointed look to which Bo chuckled.

"That he is, but Captain America seems to be getting into it too," Bo observed and the pair of them watched as Jon Granger grabbed two chairs and swung them around over his head growling, and then threw them into the grass to which Billy the Kid reacted by hollering.** "YEAH DUDE! FEEL THE THUNDER!"** with his arms lifted high obviously impressed by Jon's testosteron induced chair swinging.

**"CHEST BUMP!"** Billy the Kid shouted.

"Oh damn," Bo and Lauren mumbled in unison bottle of beer poised to their lips as they watched Dyson and Jon launch into what was possibly, the most ill-advised chest bump in the history of chest bumps.

Both men propelled their bodies into the air at an awkward angle with the elegance of a swan if it was a goose on the verge of dying or under the influence of opiates. When their chests collided both Lauren and Bo saw it happen as if in slow motion with Bo slightly tilting her head mumble "Huh" and Lauren muttering "Seconded". Beer spilled from the Cap and the Kid's bottles showering the other headbangers on the dance floor. When the pair landed without a broken limb in between them, Bo and Lauren just started laughing out loud. A sound that was drowned by the guys shouting:**"AWESOME, DUDE! AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!**

"Oh brother," Lauren laughed out loud.

"Gods!" Bo shook her head and Lauren and Bo kept laughing until there were tears in their eyes. Eventually when Bo had stopped laughing and she had wiped her tears away she said. "Billy the Rocking Kid over there used to drag me to these awful heavy metal concerts, him all dressed up like Ozzy, me having to dress up like Sharon."

"I expect you had just the wardrobe for that," Lauren commented.

Bo let out a boisterous laugh, and threw a piece of lettuce at the blonde. "I can't believe you just said that, and that just rolled off of your tongue spontaneously too!"

"You are the only person I know that wears leather in 30 degrees celsius and more!" Lauren chuckled back and threw a bean at Bo.

Bo ducked the bean laughing. "I make that stuff look good!"

"No argument there," Lauren smirked back. Bo finished up the few stray grapes left on her plate as the music in the background changed to a tune Bo had always loved. She rose from her chair and held her hand outstretched to Lauren. "How bout that dance now?" The brunette looked up at Lauren with her big dark, souful eyes and Lauren felt instantly flushed, the butterflies swirling inside.

"You look beautiful tonight, Lauren." Bo said softly as the pair of them made it to the dance floor on the beach hand in hand.

"You've said that already," Lauren responded.

"It bore repeating," Bo answered. "You shine as Ophelia," Bo said taking in the flower crown in Lauren's hair; the flowers were light, delicate, highlighting what Bo thought was Lauren's ethereal beauty. As the pair began to sway, to the tunes of Otis Redding's 'These arms of mine' Lauren wrapped an arm around Bo's waist, and suddenly Bo and Lauren's world shrunk to just the two of them. All they saw or heard was one another. Lauren felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest when Bo's hand shifted from her side to a slightly more intimate embrace to her back. Every little touch between them, a hand that shifted lightly, a leg that brushed against her Lauren felt in every nerve ending.

**_These arms of mine, they are yearning_**

**_Yearning from wanting you_**

The same magic of budding love had Bo in its thrall: when Lauren's fingers intertwined with hers that nervous excitement the brunette always felt around the blonde increased ten fold. The slightest shift, touch, look of this woman in her arms Bo realized made her heart lurch. The feeling was thrilling, intoxicating, addictive. It was also new, unexpected, a little terrifying. All her life Bo had on some level always wished she could just 'be', just feel and nothing else and in that moment she could.

**_And if you would let them hold you_**

**_Oh, how grateful I will be_**

Bo's arms around Lauren felt like holding your breath and finally breathing at the same time, Bo's hand on Lauren hip felt scorching, and Lauren felt like she needed more of this, like she needed to prolong this feeling, this suspension this weightlessness she felt around Bo. Lauren needed it, craved it. Was this how her mother had felt when she had first met her father? Was this what falling hopelessly in love felt like? Lauren Lewis' imagination was a well-oiled machine, one that worked round the clock, and sometimes a little too well, yet Lauren had no reference for this feeling she felt right now. All she knew was that it felt good, it felt right, it was addictive, she needed more of it, and it made her happy. Happy because Lauren could see herself doing this, anything really with Bo for a long time to come: dinner dates, dancing, talking, laughing,...any of it. All of it.

Lauren yearned and craved, and as her eyes fell on Bo's lips she realized the one craving that stood out amongst all. All it had taken was a small tilt from Bo's head, and Lauren had been able to feel the brunette's breath on her face.

Lauren leaned in and Bo's eyes fell half closed.

**"BO, DO WE HAVE ANYMORE BEER LEFT?"** Dyson's voice cut loudly through the night, above the music, and through the moment.

Bo's arms immediately dropped from Lauren's body as if someone had caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to do.

**"BO?"** Dyson called again.

"Are you friggen kiddin' me right now," Bo grumbled. "Hold that thought, " she said to Lauren. "I need to go kill Dyson and then I'll be back."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The moon was bright lighting the night when Bo found Lauren standing with her feet in the water overlooking the vastness in front of her. Bo smiled and kicked off her shoes. The water splashing around Bo's feet as she approached the blonde, made Lauren look behind her.

"Crisis averted," Bo said as she reached Lauren and handed Lauren one of two beers she had in her hand. "The beer is flowing again."

"Thank goodness, a party without beer is pretty dismal."

"Potentially dangerous, a mutiny could have broken out."

"I see your point, you saved me, you saved all of us."

"And you by letting me go take care of that."

"I'm magnanimous that way," Lauren said making a grand bowing gesture and using a very convincing English accent that made Bo laugh. The brunette took a swig of her drink, the bitter liquid a nice palet on her tongue. When Bo looked back up she couldn't help but notice and smile at how beautiful Lauren was, how cute she was wiggling her toes in the water obviously delighted and just a little buzzed. All of the reasons she needed to talk to Lauren rushed at her, and she took a deep breath.

"Lauren, there's something I need to tell you,..." Bo said, and then fell silent, the brunette all of a sudden feeling anxious, and unsure of what exactly to say.

"I know about Dyson," Lauren said eying Bo with a knowing smile. "I mean, I thought he was a real douche coming on to you the way he did, but we talked it over and we're buds now, ya know? Lauren said flailing her arms a little to which Bo raised a curious eyebrow. _Definitely buzzed_, Bo thought with a grin. "I mean yeah, I know he's your best bud, and that the flirting is just a thing so it's all good. I pretty much think he's awesome now," Lauren smiled wide. "No need to duel him at dawn, and Jon has a man crush on him which is very funny. Also, I like him cause he notices what kind of beer I like. That's nice you know? That someone pays attention like that? He's a good host."

"You were going to duel him at dawn?" Bo asked her grin only widening. It had taken Bo only a few hours to learn that Lauren had a very active and lively, sometimes over the top type of imagination. She found that Lauren was completely fascinating that way, and super cute.

"There was tumbleweed and the theme song from 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' was playing."

"And Dyson was dressed up like Billy The Kid," Bo added.

"Exactly!"

"I see how that could happen," Bo said smiling.

"You're always so understanding," Lauren said, and she reached out for Bo's hand to take in her own. "I like that about you,"

Bo felt her heart leap at Lauren's touch, and she squeezed Lauren's hand. The way Lauren made Bo feel just by holding her hand reminded Bo once more that she needed to be honest with Lauren. Bo was once again wondering how to start that conversation when Lauren said.

"Do you want to sit down? I feel like I should be sitting down...We should sit down."

Bo chuckled and smiled. "Sure," she said, and the pair moved a few meters back to the sand of the beach that was still lukewarm from the warm day. As soon as the pair sat down, Lauren reached out for Bo's hand again.

"And now that the world has stopped spinning," Lauren said cause it had a bit, and Lauren knew she was only a few beers away from keeling over, and a really drunk Lauren wasn't a good thing. "You can tell me what is wrong. You have your broody face on, and I don't like seeing you broody," Lauren said cupping Bo's jaw. "I like it so much better when I can see that beautiful smile of yours."

Bo smiled back softly. Her entire being warmed at Lauren's words and at the feeling of Lauren's hand to her cheek. "Has anyone ever told you how amazing you are?"

"Is that why you're brooding?" Lauren asked to which Bo shook her head in a loaded moment. "Amazing was my middle name in college. So yeah, I'm pretty used to it," Lauren joked breaking the tension and Bo laughed softly.

_Actually, for a time, Lauren's nickname in college had been 'Wind Breaker', cause Lauren had been in a play once in college, and the night before the Premier, she'd gone over to her friend Crystal and they had eaten a very unfortunate batch of onion soup. The following day Lauren had been flatulant during the entire play, and all over stage. But, yeah Lauren truly wasn't going to mention that now._

_For several reasons._

"Is this about Madison?" Lauren asked when the pair had stopped giggling.

"What? Oh.." Bo blinked. "No, I mean,... how do you know that name?"

"Just something Dyson mentioned about Madison being a hag?"

Bo chuckled and took another sip of her beer. "Yeah, Dyson never did like Maddie," Bo said, and it was the first time since Lauren had known Bo that she saw the woman wince. It was clear in that moment to Lauren that whatever this Maddie person had done to Bo, or whatever had happened between them it still hurt, and that realization made Lauren's heart sink a little. Maybe Bo wasn't over this Maddie person yet. Lauren could deal with potential other suitors Bo had no interest in, she was pretty sure she could take them out single handedly, and with an awesome battle cry to boot, but she couldn't very well fight Bo's feelings for another woman.

"Do..do you still have feelings for her?" Lauren asked surprising herself a little at how direct she was when she had so much riding on Bo's answer.

"No," Bo shook her head unequivocally and Lauren sighed in relief.

"I just," Bo started and shrugged. "I just...I've always believed in love, you know?" Bo asked momentarily glancing over at Lauren. "After what happened with Maddie, I think I kind of lost that. The brunette had started peeling at the beer label on her bottle, and was now playing with it absentmindedly to keep her hands busy. "Or at least that's how the last couple of months have felt to me," Bo said honestly.

"What happened? I mean, you don't have to tell me, but you can."

"Basically, I came home early from a trip and I found her in bed with one of my best friends."

"Oh, Bo.." Lauren said and a lump sprang in her throat at how horrible that must have been for Bo. Lauren couldn't imagine anyone doing that to the kind, warm and beautiful woman Bo was.

"So I called Dyson, crying and bawling like an idiot and he booked me a flight to Crete, picked me up from the airport, held me as I sobbed in his arms for two days straight, and I've been here ever since."

"I'd like to kick Madison's ass," Lauren said fiercely.

Bo chuckled. "You'll have to get in line. Dyson wants a piece of her too."

"I really like him," Lauren said thinking of her former archrival who turned out to be a protective best friend who wanted Lauren to date Bo. _Yup, she really liked Dyson. _

"He grows on you," Bo said grinning. "But, look.." Bo said deciding to be brave. "What I wanted to tell you has nothing to do with Madison, it's something I should have told you sooner, but I ju-"

Before Bo could finish her sentence there was a loud bang, and when the pair turned around towards Dyson's house, they saw nothing but darkness, heard nothing but the rustling sea until a few voices sounded out.

* * *

**End of chapter five!**

Any ideas what Bo is trying to tell Lauren? You guys have probably already figured it out! :-)

**Saphire: **I had a great time with Lauren too! haha! Thanks for the review :-)

**Joan**: The real date night is up next! Also, another couple of twists and turns for Rachel and Marie.

**KrDavis:** Wow, emotional juxtaposition! It's a term I have to admit I didn't have in my head when I was writing it. I'm a simple girl, with a simple vocabulary ;-) but when I think about it, you are absolutely right! As I keep saying (ad nauseam) I'm not good at just writing fluff, so I always need action to keep rhythm in my stories. I think this story, which is lighter and more airy than what I'm used to writing, does allow me to tackle a very serious topic and explore it in a way that it should be explored without the overall story becoming too depressing.

**J:** So, I wasn't able to give you a date just yet, but I will next chapter, and I hoped you liked this little interaction between Bo and Lo in the meantime. I feel like they've actually taken a big step in how open they now communicate about their feelings! :)

**Susan**: Mabel is a mommah bear, and yes she believes in love at first sight. Good eye for picking up on that! :) I'm having fun with Lauren's inner dialogue, it's something that kinda grew organically, and now that I've started, I seemingly can't stop! ;-)

**Kogaduck**: Mabel sure didn't! haha! I wrote that dialogue one day not really knowing how I could fit it into the story, but it just cracked me up rereading it, that I wound up writing the entire chapter around it! ;-)

**Mulderchick**: Navigating the 'Rachel' story into this story isn't always easy. I needed a slow build for Rachel and Marie (cause it's supposed to be a book), while I needed a faster pace for Bo and Lauren's short story. I can totally understand how in the first chapters it came off a little slow or distracting, it was for me too! Now, however, I feel like that story is starting to stand on its own.

**Frenchi:** Happy belated birthday, Frenchi! You've got the mommahs down to a T, I'll try to give them a few more moments in the chapters to come :)

**Bahh**: Cute, I'll gladly take! Thanks! :)

**Mecca**: Oh, I love new reviewers! Welcome, and thanks so much for liking my story enough to review. So nice of you, glad you enjoyed!


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